The Midnight Hour
by Sinister Spiders
Summary: Ginny is getting in trouble with the potions master.... but who said trouble had to be a bad thing? Ginny soon learns that things aren't always as they seem and is drawn into the embrace of someone who she never thought she would find comfort in.
1. And it Throbbed

The Midnight Hour  
  
CHAPTER ONE: And It Throbbed...  
  
Ginny Weasley walked down the corridor angrily; there wasn't one potions lesson that she could remember where she hadn't gotten into some sort of trouble. She clutched the detention slip in her hand and opened the old wooden door and stepped into the dungeon, looking around grudgingly.  
  
"Your late Weasley!" Came Snape's slippery drawl, she looked over at him.  
  
"Sorry about that professor, I ran into peeves on the way and he threw chewing gum into my hair so I had no choice to go to the bathroom and wash it out, but I went into the wrong bathroom you see sir, and ran into Moaning Myrtle, she was not a happy ghost! She started wailing and crying and even had the nerve to throw a U-bend at me. You should really do something about her- she is VERY temperamental!." She lied with fake sincerity (and all in one breath).  
  
"Shut up and sit down Weasley, if I wanted an essay I would have asked for it." He snapped putting his quill back in the ink bottle in front of him.  
  
"So what do you want me to do this time sir?" She said grudgingly "Should I clean the potion vials or do you want me to rearrange the ingredients in your office?" "I have a better job for you this time Weasley," He said as tough he was talking to a stubborn five year old.  
  
"And what would that be?" She drawled and rolled her eyes.  
  
"Well, since you insist on acting like a five year old, your punishment for this evening shall be to sit in the corner of the room with your finger on your lips. Maybe, that will shut you up... for once." He said, a nasty smirk playing on his lips. Her lips fell open and she looked at him.  
  
"No really sir, what is it?" She asked afraid of the cruel and plain honesty in his eyes.  
  
"Well, I am feeling rather generous.... So you have a choice." He snarled "You can sit in the corner of the room with your finger on your lips, or you can write me a thirty inch essay on why you insist on chattering endlessly in my class." He said, Ginny thought for a moment, Snape pulled out a very long piece of parchment and prepared to hand it to her.  
  
"So, which corner did you want me to sit in?" She asked looking around enthusiastically.  
  
"Don't give me cheek Weasley!" He yelled, slamming his fists impatiently on his desk. She walked slowly over to the far back corner of the room and plonked herself down, cross-legged.  
  
"MISS WEASLEY! GET UP!" He yelled, standing up.  
  
"Sorry sir, but I am not allowed to talk!" she stated childishly, then put a finger up to her lips. Snape took in deep breath and sat down.  
  
"You, unfortunately, Miss Weasley are uncannily similar to you older brothers Fred and George, and in respect to their wonderful reputation you have a months worth of detentions!" Snape said jeeringly. He looked at her for a reaction and she shrugged her shoulders carelessly and pointed to her finger. "I daresay you do have other things to do with your nights... running around with Potter and what not." He said, hoping almost desperately to touch a nerve.  
  
She nodded and gave him a rather cheeky wink.  
  
"So what is it that you two get up to? I'd hate to think you do anything against school regulations. You seem much more sensible than that..."She wiggled her bottom on the ground in attempt to get comfortable "Or not..."  
  
This is going to be a long night...  
  
Towards the end of the evening, Ginny – in her childish pursuit - had taken a vow of silence, as she listened to Snape mocking her, her family, friends and of course Harry Potter. He always had something to say about Harry. She managed to ignore the nasty comments by focusing on the way he acted wen he talked, she found it rather interesting. When ever he was angry there was a vein in his neck, which throbbed as though it was threatening to burst. When he calmed down the vein deflated and there was a faint red line on his ghastly skin. When his talked his lips barely moved and his eyes were fixed on her, only her. She felt uncomfortable under the pressure of his gaze; she could not believe how much hate there was behind those cold eyes. He talked about Harry's and her relationship as though it was a painful memory from his childhood, he bitterly mocked him as usual and made inexcusable references to their private lives- but she just focused on the throbbing vein... it was huge.  
  
"Weasley. It is your bed time." He said in a feigningly sweet voice. She stood up and walked towards the door, he grabbed her arm as he walked past the desk and she turned to face him.  
  
"The same time tomorrow night Weasley." He snapped, his nauseatingly sweet breath plagued her. "Hopefully you will not make up any more codswallop to excuse your sorry self for being late." Focus on the vein...that large throbbing brain...  
  
She looked him in the eyes and whipped her finger up to her lips, and skipped out slamming the heavy door behind her.  
  
Severus sat back in his old wooden seat, wondering what it was about the young Weasley girl that he did not understand.  
  
Disclaimer: Harry Potter, names, characters and related indicia are copyright and trademark J.K. Rowling and Warner Bros. No money is being made out of this Fan Fiction and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.  
  
This Fan Fiction is written by Wendelin the Weird and Atalanta Zora. This chapter is just the beginning but there will be heated up scenes in future chapters, you have been warned. If you do not feel comfortable with the idea of a GW/SS relationship please do not read on. 


	2. Six Hundred and Ten Words

_The Midnight Hour_

**CHAPTER TWO:** Six Hundred and Ten words

Ginny Weasley was enjoying a peaceful sleep in her dormitory; she had dreams of playing quidditch, of having tea with the giant squid in the lake and many other strange things.

"Ginny- get up" Said Hazel, poking her elbow, Ginny groaned.

"Go away Hazel" Ginny groaned into her pillow, kicking her foot at her friend.

"Ginny, it's time to go to class" Hazel said calmly, waking Ginny up after detention was always her job, so she knew how to handle all situations that were thrown (or kicked) at her.

"No it's not… piss off!" Ginny grunted grumpily.

"Yes, it is. We have potions first, Snape will chuck a fit if were late again!" Hazel said, shaking Ginny by the shoulders softly.

"Let him whinge, it's all he ever does anyway." Ginny groaned pulling her pillow from under her head and throwing it at Hazel, who caught it just before it hit her hard in the stomach.

"Ginny…. Get up!" Hazel said jumping on top of Ginny and smothering he with her pillow, Ginny sat up quickly causing Hazel to fall back, almost off the bed.

"I'm up now are you happy?" Ginny asked, offering her hand to her friend to help her sit up properly.

"Yes, I'm rapt. So, how was your detention last night, what did Snape make you last night? Scrub random jars again?" Hazel asked standing up and walking over to her own bed.

"No, I sat in he corner of the dungeon with my finger on my mouth." Hazel rolled her eyes and pulled her cloak off her bed.

"Yeah, okay then…" Hazel sighed, Ginny shooed her out of the room so she could get changed in privacy.

"Ginny Weasley!"

"Yes Professor Snape?" Ginny said rolling her eyes, and putting her knife down on the cutting board splattered with fig juice.

"That essay you wrote on the uses of branding potions in the eighteenth century was thirty-three words short." He said slowly, making sure everyone in the room could hear, even the rat crawling along the top of the supplies cupboard.

"I thought I would give you some time to yourself, because we all know thirty-three words takes an awfully long time for someone to read." Ginny said airily, dropping some pumpkin seeds into her cauldron.

"I don't need your cheek Miss Weasley, tonight you will meet me for detention and rewrite your entire essay." Snape said with a smirk playing at the corner of his mouth.

"I look forward to it…. Professor." She said mockingly, she gave him a cocky smile and got back to her potion.

"He really has it in for you Gin!" Said Colin, grinning broadly.

"Ah, it's the only thing he has, let him have his fun Col!" She whispered back, he snickered appreciatively.

Ginny sat in the common room reading a book on the negative effects of the polyjuice potion, she heard Harry talking loudly to Ron about the tactics necessary to beat Ravenclaw.

"Ginny, are you coming?" Harry asked, walking over to her and giving her a smile.

"Oh shit, I completely forgot about training! I have a detention in fifteen minutes!" She said closing her books and standing up.

"So, you're not coming then?" He asked, slightly annoyed.

"Sorry Harry, I know how much this means to you." She replied, he shrugged.

"Just try not to get in trouble next time!" he said walking towards the portrait hole.

"Like you can talk Harry!" She called after him; she wasn't sure whether she still like him, if that crush was still there. She gathered her books in her arm and dropped them off in her dormitory before walking down to the dungeon.

"You're early Miss Weasley!" Snape growled as she entered he dungeon.

"Are going tot take points off Gryffindor for that Sir?" She asked sweetly, He glared at her his eyes shining with hate.

"You are one of the very few people who have been able to test my patience the way you do." He said in a matter-of-fact tone.

"And why is that sir?" she asked feigning interest. The vein throbbed, and she wanted to laugh.

"If you must know Miss Ginevra Weasley, it is because you, and all of your brothers are insufferable. You think that just because you are Gryffindors that you have the keys to Hogwarts. What you don't realise is that this school is not only for the Weasley's, and if it was we would have no funds. So, if you don't mind Weasley, keep your mouth shut and do some work." He pointed towards a desk with a quill and parchment set up on it neatly.

She took her time and walked slowly to the desk, obviously agitating Snape. She was about to sit down on the hard chair but she had an idea. She grabbed the parchment, ink and a quill and carried it to her corner where she sat down.

"Weasley what in Merlin's name are you doing?" He snapped, putting his work down.

"I thought I had to be here for the rest of my detentions!" She replied.

"Don't be so childish Miss Weasley, you are quite grown up, and I am sure you have enough common sense to make proper judgements." Ginny raised her eyebrows.

"Sir, I'd prefer the floor…. It is much more comfortable, and as you said last night- it is where I belong." She replied, sitting herself down on the dungeon floor.

"I have too much work to do to argue with you about your childish pursuits!" Snape said, picking up his quill.

"Don't let me stop you." She mumbled and begun rewriting her essay.

_Branding potions weren't only used by farmers, in the 18th century they were used by many witches and wizards to show ownership over a particular object or person. There have been many recorded cases where a person had branded their spouse in order to prevent adultery. Simple branding potions were also used on house elves to show who they were owned by, their jobs in the house and anything else worth noting about their life, usually not much. _

Snape didn't know why Ginny infuriated him so, it wasn't that she was immature, because he got that from so many students, it wasn't that she was a smart alec- after dealing with Fred and George for seven years she seemed like an angel. Perhaps that was the problem, no matter what Ginny said or did she always managed to come across as an angel, giving a sweet smile, or calculatedly ignoring the situation at hand.

There was one other girl he had known that had this ability; she too had red hair and an innocent smile. Lily was like Ginny in many ways. Back when Snape was at school being attacked by James Potter and his cronies Lily always defended him, if it wasn't because she liked him, it was because she had a good heart. Snape however liked Lily, she was never a friend of his but when she passed him in the hallways he always noticed the confidence that radiated out of her, she would smile and nod in his direction a small acknowledgement that showed that she, unlike James and Sirius – knew he was there. Severus had always cherished these moments, but as all good moments come they are quickly snatched away from you.

The famous James Potter, the perfect little Gryffindor, the boy who had taken the time to ridicule, abuse him, make him look stupid in front of the entire school and had managed to snatch away Evans. Lily had turned the arrogant little bastard into a blubbering idiot, who followed her around with puppy eyes and a heart made out of mashed potato.

Just like Potter had snatched the little Weasley. Didn't she understand that Potter was an arrogant little prat like his own father? Strutting around thinking that he owned the place, thinking that because he could fly a broomstick and that he had a scar on his thick head made everyone worship the ground he walked on.

His eyes moved over to Ginny. He took in her unkempt appearance. She seemed to be concentrating rather hard on her essay. He noticed as she flicked away some red wisps of hair as they fell into her eyes. There was so much of Lily in her.

_Branding potions were outlawed in 1943, because of how inhumane their uses had become. People had begun slipping the potion into their rival's drink, which left them with an unmistakable and irremovable scar, often vulgar and suggestive. This technique is often used by the Dark Lord, on his followers, branding them with a snake and skull. Branding is permanent meaning it cannot be removed so all of the people and possessions that drunk the ill-tasting potions were left with the results of their choices for life._

_Enough words sir? I believe this is the 595th word…Do I still have detention? Can I go now? Hey, do you like marshmallows?_

The whole time Ginny had been rewriting her essay, she felt the professor's eyes on her. He had work to do, and the both knew that, so why didn't he do it? Was it that his brain was only capable of one thought? And if so- what was so tantalizing?

He had been looking at her. She could feel his eyes penetrating into her mind, seeing something that she didn't know was there…

"I'm finished sir- can I go?" She asked looking up at him, he quickly broke out of his trance and acted as though he had been making papers the whole time.

"How many words?" He asked, ticking the page relentlessly (Ginny found this strange as the work belonged to Harry).

"Six hundred and ten words!" She said standing up, he looked deep in thought and he didn't answer her so she gathered her books and walked over to the door, just before she left the room she turned around, he as looking at her.

"Sir, may I ask you a question?" She asked innocently.

"You are going to anyway." He drawled.

"Do you honestly have nothing else to do besides count the words on our essays?" She asked, putting on a confused face. He glared at her but said nothing. "Or was that just an excuse to keep me in detention for another night?" She grinned and observed his expression, he was completely calm – no veins were throbbing.

"Yes." He answered very honestly "Now go!"

A/N: Hey everyone! The story is up and running and there seems to be a lot more sexual tension between our potions master and dear little Ginevra…

We would like to thank all those fantastic people who reviewed us, we appreciate it deeply!

_Thanks to:_

Darla56 (The first review is always a large compliment . )

Crystal Frost (Thanks for the encouraging reviews- you're great! It's always good

hear form someone enthusiastic about our work!)

Kimmie (Kimmie…what can we say about Kimmie?)

me (We don't know who you are, but we like you!)

Mia (UPDATED! Hope you enjoyed, thanks or being so forward!)

And our Phantom reviewer- Vikki, we know you're out there… We saw you the other day hiding in the front yard.

Oh, and if Snape asks, this chapter is 1762 words long!


	3. Excuses

The Midnight Hour  
  
CHAPTER THREE: Excuses  
  
Sarcasm. Such a wonderful thing, there was usually truth behind it – and it could be palmed off as a joke. Even when it wasn't. Severus Snape used this talent to make fun of people. With Ginny Weasley, however it was something different. Something very different. When she made jokes at his expense he used it as a defence against her.  
  
"Yes...Now Go!" Yes...there was truth...He knew it was bad, it was against the law. He didn't know what it was about her, but there was something, her eyes, her hair, her attitude. He had been stretching his excuses for keeping her back "Do you have nothing better to do?", it was true, he knew it. He had been a teacher for nearly ten years and never in his teaching career had he come across a person young or old. Nobody had been able to distract him as much as she could. She was a brat, she was a stubborn and impossible brat.   
  
He could not erase her from his mind.  
  
She was intelligent, witty and fascinating. Severus wanted to kick himself for having these thoughts plague his head was a bad thing. He was a teacher, and she was a student. He was twenty years older than her and it disgusted him to think that he had some sort of attraction towards her.  
  
Perhaps all he needed was a good sleep, it was only nine thirty but the essays piled on his desk could wait another day. He retreated to his bedroom sincerely hoping to extinguish all thoughts of the young Weasley out of his head.  
  
"As you are aware, your exams are coming up very soon, and it is part of my job to make sure that you know what you are doing. Unfortunately most this class is far from exam standards. So it is with great regret that Dumbledore has announced that I will be giving remedial potions to those who cannot seem to grasp the fine art of potion brewing. They are a select few of you who could do without it but some", Severus dark eyes gazed the room and set on the young red head. "Are in dire need of... aid"   
  
The Gryffindors moaned, the last thing they wanted was more lessons with Snape.   
  
"It seems that the only thing that we are in dire need of is a new potions professor.." Ginny whispered snidely to Colin who laughed quietly.  
  
"What was that Miss Weasley?" Snape's head snapped to face her, she smirked.  
  
"Nothing... Your excellency."  
  
"Well, since you seem so keen Miss Weasley, you would be happy to know that you are the first on my list for remedial potions." He said, as if addressing an infant. "and joining you will be Colin Creevey, Gregory Smarm and Frederick Wincey."  
  
"I look forward to it – sir." She said mockingly with a sweet smile.   
  
"The remedial lessons will be held at a time convenient for me, they have already been decided so I will expect you to adjust your timetable. See me after the lesson and I will tell you the times. We have wasted enough of our lesson discussing this so lets move on. We will begin to brew a branding potion, and if you have done your homework you know that it will take eight days. Before you move I want a volunteer to go and get some ingredients out of the ingredient cupboard- Mr. Creevey"  
  
"Sir I didn't" Colin stammered.  
  
"Thankyou Colin, here is a list. Be as quick as you can." Snape thrust a piece of paper out at Colin  
  
The bell echoed down the stone hallways and into the dungeon Ginny stood up and walked towards the door as quickly as her legs could take her.  
  
"And where do you think you are going Miss Weasley" Snape's voice boomed she stopped.  
  
"Why to lunch of course, professor." She said, not turning around.  
  
"I recall asking you to stay back Miss Weasley." He said in a tone of faux confusion.  
  
"Funny that, I don't recall it at all." She said taking a step closer to freedom.  
  
"Stop." She stopped walking "turn" Ginny spun around on the spot "and walk back to your seat." She walked towards the chair she had left only moments ago and plonked herself down on it. His thin lips twisted into a cruel smile. "Thankyou for joining us Miss Weasley." He said and nodded in her direction, she folded her arms.  
  
"Mr Creevey please come to my desk." He said, Colin got up and walked over to his desk timidly. "Here is your time, any questions?"  
  
"No Professor." Colin replied. Snape dismissed the sixth year with a flick of his wrist. Snape called Gregory Smarm up next, then Wincey. Ginny sat at her desk the whole time, an indifferent look on her face when Severus called her she raised her eyebrows.  
  
"Come to my desk Miss Weasley." She didn't move "Or would you like to stay here for the rest of your lunch. I don't mind, I do not have an more lesson for the day." She tilted her head to the right.  
  
"Why do I need remedial potions sir? I am getting an average mark of seventy-five percent." She said, trying not to let her anger show through.  
  
"Well Miss Weasley all of the work you have submitted is somewhat similar to that which Potter and Granger submitted last year." He said snidely.  
  
"What? What I submit is solely my own." She replied.  
  
"Do not try to convince me otherwise Miss Weasley, I have a good eye for these matters."  
  
"A good eye? For what?" She asked standing up.  
  
"For spotting people who plagiarise Weasley." He drawled all, of the emotion drained from his waxen face.   
  
"This isn't about my work is it?" She demanded forcefully, Severus glared at her. "What is it about?" She asked.  
  
"It is about your work." Snape said standing up. And turning towards the door.  
  
"No its not." She growled "What do you have against me?"   
  
"I have no problem with you Ginevra, all I wish is that..."  
  
"Is that, what?"  
  
"Your remedial lesson is at seven thirty tonight." He said and walked out of the room quickly.  
  
"Where are you going Ginny?" Harry called out after her as she got off her broom.  
  
"I have a remedial potions lesson." She replied grudgingly.  
  
"But training isn't finished yet." he stated.  
  
"I know Harry- but I .." She begun, he interrupted her.  
  
"When will you be finished?"  
  
"Probably at eight thirty." She replied.  
  
"I was kind of hoping we could go for a walk tonight, he said looking at the ground awkwardly. Ginny's heart gave a quick jolt.  
  
"I'm sorry Harry, maybe another night." She said taking her scarf off. "Oh, can you give this to Ron for me, it's his." Before he could say anything else she walked off towards the castle and walked the familiar route towards the dungeon.   
  
She was sick of the way Snape patronised her. Every time he saw her he got a look in his eyes of dislike. She hated the effect he had on her, his eyes penetrated hers and when he spoke she had to try hard to resist the urge to shiver. Most people were scared of Snape, but she was well past that stage. She didn't know what it was that made her feel the need to shiver. Did he disgust her that much? Did he make her that angry? Did she hate him? Or was it more than hate?  
  
She snapped out of her thoughts as she opened the door to the dungeon and stepped inside.  
  
"Glad to see you are on time for once, take a seat." Snape ordered. "We will be working on your potions essay skills today. Take out your quill and some parchment." He ordered, she didn't move.  
  
"Sir, how can I cheat on an in-class essay when I can take no notes into the room and have no preparation time." Ginny asked.  
  
"It seems, Miss Weasley, that you are kidding yourself." Snape drawled, she looked at the vein, it wasn't throbbing. He was enjoying this.  
  
"How so sir?" She sneered he gave a cold laugh.  
  
"There are many ways to cheat Miss Weasley." He stated matter-of-factly "Now, take out your quill and some parchment. I will dictate to you." Ginny pulled out her quill and got ready to write. "Paragraph one. Introduction: The history of the potion and what it is used for." He stood up. "Paragraph two. The main ingredients and their history." He walked over to her desk "Miss Weasley, are you writing any of this?"  
  
"What? Oh. Yes professor." She replied snapping out of her daydream. He put his hand on the back of her chair and peered at her work over her shoulder.  
  
"Paragraph three: The brewing process, are there any risks involved? What are they?" He moved his head nearer to her to get a better view of what she was writing. She smelt like fresh-cut grass and there was the lingering essence of perfume, she would have come straight from quidditch practise.  
  
"Paragraph four: any other interesting facts." She shifted in her seat and his hands slipped onto her shoulder, touching it very lightly, she didn't seem to notice. "Paragraph five: the conclusion mention the effectiveness and credibility of the potion." He leaned closer, his cheek an inch from her.  
  
"Is that all?" She asked as she put the full stop at the end, she turned around to face him and their lips brushed together for a split second. She jumped off her seat like a shocked animal and Snape straightened up quickly. She gathered her books quickly and shoved them into her bag.   
  
"Weasley." Snape called as she walked towards the door. She ignored him. "That wasn't meant to happen." She opened the door "Don't-" she stopped.  
  
"Don't tell anyone?" She asked angrily, she shook her head and stepped into the corridor slamming the heavy door behind her...  
  
A/N: So there you have it, the next chapter, we hope it met your expectations. We are honestly sorry for the delay but we have both had much to do at school. Once again we would like to thank all the reviewers, even those who flame, but especially those who asked us to continue. The next chapter shouldn't take so long to complete, we already have some of it written. Thanks for waiting for us! 


	4. Nobody Needs to Know

_The Midnight Hour_

**CHAPTER FOUR:** Nobody needs to know…

What was that? What on earth gave Snape the right to go near her, let alone kiss her? She could feel the anger stirring in the pit of her stomach. As she stormed down the corridor she had no idea where she was going, all that she knew was that there were a thousand thoughts running through her head, and none of them made any sense. She stopped on her spot as one thought plagued her mind. She turned around and strode back towards the dungeon. She couldn't walk away from the situation like that.

The door slammed open and then slammed shut again, Severus looked up and saw Ginny standing in the room. What was she doing there?

"Miss Weasley…" He said, she glared at him and walked over to his desk.

"I think _Professor,_ that we need to talk." She said, she should be talking to Dumbledore not Snape.

"What do you wish to talk about Miss Weasley?" He asked.

"You know what I want to talk about Snape." She growled Snape glared at her lack of respect.

"Do not address me so informally-" He begun.

"Do not take advantage of students!" Ginny yelled, Snape looked shocked "I don't know if your realised Snape, but you just broke a law. So you better come up with a bloody good explanation why before I go and find _professor_ Dumbledore." Snape opened his mouth and closed it a number of time before he managed to find his voice.

"I think this can be resolved without the headmaster knowing." He said quietly Ginny raised her eyebrows. "It does not need to become a big issue, it really needn't of happen and it would be better if we both forgot about it."

"The thing is _professor_ that it did happen, and there is no undoing what happened. What I would like to know however is why it happened in the first place."

"It was just coincidence miss Weasley, nothing more." Snape said in a voice that made Ginny shudder. "That is why it is better to forget about it. It wasn't meant to happen."

"You have been breathing down my neck for weeks now and I think that I have the right to know why." Ginny replied glaring at him.

"Because- you are a good student who is capable of better things and I don't think that you should waste your talent like your brothers have." Snape said, it seemed as though it was a lie.

"Why do you have to bring my family into this?" She half yelled.

"Your family, Miss Weasley are capable of much more than they give themselves credit for and I do not want to see you fall behind like they do."

"Since when did you care about the poor Weasley's? When did you start caring about me? When did you start caring about anyone else? You hate everyone."

"It is getting late, and I think it is time that you went back to your dormitory." Snape suggested shuffling the papers on his desk.

"I am not leaving" Ginny said folding her arms over her chest.

"Thirty points off-" Snape begun, but Ginny cut him off.

"You are in no position to take points of Gryffindor Professor. I will ask you one last time before I track Professor Dumbledore down." She threatened, "Why did you kiss me?" Snape turned to face the blackboard, his back towards Ginny.

"I-"

"And don't even begin to tell me a lie. I want the real reason. You are more cautious than that. It is not normal for you to do anything so carelessly. There is a reason for everything you do, I don't know you very well but I know you well enough to know that." Ginny warned, Snape heaved in a heavy sigh.

"I think that it would be better if you just left" He said.

"I said that I wouldn't leave here until you give me a reason and I wont." Ginny stepped towards him and he coughed loudly. He turned around quickly to face her.

"Just get back to your dormitory! It shouldn't have happened! It meant nothing!" Snape said, forcing himself to keep calm.

"Why shouldn't it have happened?" Ginny asked, Snape looked shocked.

"It is illegal, and wrong." Snape said and walked over to open the dungeon door "You said so yourself!"

"Why is it wrong?" She asked he looked confused.

"It is against the law Miss Weasley."

"Well, maybe the law is stupid." Ginny found these words coming out of her mouth as though they were alien to her mind. Why she said that was beyond her, was it because she wanted to explain why, for a split second she enjoyed the warmth of her teacher's lips on hers.

"The laws are there for a reason." Snape said, letting go of the doorhandle.

"To protect poor innocent school girls like me?" Ginny asked Snape stood emotionless.

"Look Miss Weasley, it is late and you are clearly becoming delusional, it is time for you to leave. It would be best if we both put this behind us." Ginny walked over to the door and took the handle in her hand.

"Nobody has to know." She said and shut the door. She stepped towards him and he stepped back.

"Miss Weasley, it is time for you to go" he said in an awkward tone, it was the first time Ginny had ever noticed him talk in that tone.

"Nobody needs to know, Severus." She said and pushed herself up against him.

"Miss Weasley, move away from me right now!" Snape said trying to step back, but his foot hit his desk, there was nowhere to go.

"I think I know why you kissed me professor…" she said, he shook his head.

"As I said, it was an accident, a coincidence, a mistake." Ginny leant up and kissed him, she felt strange doing it, as though something had forced her to. She realised that Snape wasn't as bad as she had always said. When she pulled away from him he looked shocked.

"Well, that wasn't a mistake." She said, "Now, tell me why you kissed me."

"You said that you know why, so I don't think there is any reason for me to tell you!" Snape said, he was still shocked.

"I want to hear it from you!" She replied.

"I have nothing to say to you." Snape said opening the door and ushering her out.

Ginny walked back to the common room thinking about her evening. Snape had kissed her and she kissed him back, was it really that wrong? The laws were only there because some stupid teachers might favour the person they are dating over the other students, but teachers have favourites regardless of any rule. Maybe she was feeling tired, maybe she was confused. Either way she thought that sleeping on it would be a good idea. She didn't know why she kissed Snape.

When the next morning came things didn't clear up at all, Ginny wondered what was going to happen. The last lesson of the day was double potions so she had all day to stew on the possibilities of what was going to happen. By the sounds of Snape last night he was in no mood to continue the detentions. Breakfast in the Great Hall was turning out to be a disaster, Harry, Hermione and Ron were sitting with her and Hazel that day.

"Ginny got back late from detention last night!" Hazel stated, Harry looked at Ginny.

"It wasn't that late Hazel, besides you were asleep when I came in so you wouldn't know."

"Yes I would, I went to sleep and eleven. You came after that obviously."

"That was pretty late Ginny, he isn't allowed to keep you back that long you know, you should tell Dumbledore." Hermione said between bites of her toast.

"I know it was late, but that was my fault. I – er- didn't clean the vials properly…" She said looking into her porridge as she mushed it underneath her spoon.

"That is stupid, what does he expect? He should get the house elves to do it!" Ron said, Hermione glared at him.

"Well, it doesn't matter I don't think I will have any more detentions" Ginny shrugged.

"Why not, it is not like Snape to cut a sentence short!" Harry said suspiciously.

"Yeah, I know…" Ginny replied, not looking up.

"I bet Snape and Ginny got kinky last night!" Hazel laughed Ginny shot an evil look at her and Harry looked thoroughly disgusted.

"Hazel, that is just wrong." Harry said standing up "Ron, Hermione- we are going to be late for Transfiguration, lets go." Ginny watched as Harry, Ron and Hermione left the room Hazel nudged her.

"So, did you get kinky with Snape?" She asked, smirking.

"No!" Ginny replied defensively and shoved a slice of toast into her mouth.

When it was time for potions Hazel asked Ginny yet again about why she was so late to bad the night before, Ginny was getting annoyed, as it was about the fifth time she had been asked.

"Well Hazel, if you must know what happened a pack of ravenous werewolves found there way down to the dungeons and devoured both myself and professor Snape, we were then forced to wait for assistance from Madame Pomfrey who came down and confined the werewolves to smalls cells, we were then passed though their system eight hours later and Madame Pomfrey used a potion Snape had concocted only moments before the attack to regenerate us from the waste of the werewolves, then she killed them and made their guts into the porridge we ate this morning." Ginny said in a sarcastic tone typical of her attitude.

"You know Ginny, that is actually one o the more believable stories you have told me" She laughed and opened the door to the dungeon, allowing Ginny to enter before her.

When Ginny walked into the dungeon for potions, Snape observed her every step. When she sat down she looked up at him and he looked away, addressing the class. Ginny could not concentrate on what he was saying she was thinking about the night before, she knew it would happen, she was a sucker for kissing, Snape was talking to the class about some type of potion, but the only thing she could hear was the words he was saying the night before to her. He did like her didn't he? He had kissed her. And the way that his eyes travelled over when he was talking made her feel good. It was similar to the way that her past boyfriends had looked at her, something she missed when she was single. Part of the reason she didn't have a boyfriend at the moment was because she had decided that all of the boys interested in her were too immature, except Harry, but things would not work out with him, it would be impossible. Harry's best friend was her brother, and she doubted that they would ever have any secrets between them. Harry was very mature for his age, and she knew that but after all of her years of fawning over him she realised that it would be too hard to form a relationship with him. It would be even harder to have a relationship with Snape, she was kidding herself about him. He was a teacher and she was a student, she should not have kissed him, she should not have tried to make things work between them – they just wouldn't. She planned to tell him so after their lesson. She would tell him she was stupid, she would tell him it was wrong and she would tell him that she was-

"Miss Weasley, tell me the uses of this particular potion." Snape said, interrupting her thoughts.

"What?" She asked, dazed by the sound of his voice.

"What is this potion useful for?" He repeated calmly, she looked at him vacantly. "Have you not heard a word I have said?" He asked.

"I have so!" she snapped.

"Then what did I say?" he asked.

"You said that you- that the potion was-"

"You do not know what I said. Pay attention." He snapped, and then continued on with his lesson. Hazel leant over to her.

"Wow, he didn't take any points off you this time!" Hazel said.

It was true, when the end of the double lesson came Snape had not taken any points of Gryffindor, a feat never before achieved. He only yelled at the Gryffindor students.

"Miss Weasley, I wish to see you after class." He said walking past her table, the smell of spices that clung to his robe lingered in her nose.

"Yes sir." She said looking up at him. A few seconds later the bell rung and people started filing out of the room.

"Ginny, I'll wait for you outside." Hazel said with a sly wink as she stood up and followed the rest of the class out of the room. Snape walked over and stood at the front of the desk.

"I expect you to attend detention this evening Ginny, I want you to bring your potions textbook, you have some catching up to do." He said formally, she stood up.

"I don't think that that is a good idea sir. I have thought about things and I have decided that it would be best for both of us not to-" Ginny begun, but stopped as her eyes made contact with his, her stomach churned and she longed to kiss him again. Snape's eyes had a slight look of disappointment in them, something she had only ever seen when Slytherin lost a quidditch match. "I think that it would be best for us if we did not see each other out of…" She said, but stopped. "Who am I trying to kid? I'll be there." She said and walked towards the door, before she walked out she looked back at him and smiled.

That evening when Ginny to detention she came to a conclusion about all of the things that she had been thinking about that day about Snape. Her conclusion as that she was confused. She realised that no matter how much she tried to think things through she could not think of anything even a little logical. Her musings had led her to the conclusion that she reached but she was still not satisfied. When she walked into the dungeon Snape was not in there, so she took her usual seat in the back row, middle seat. After five minutes of silence, the door creaked open and he walked in.

"Your late sir, five points of Slytherin." Ginny said. He had not noticed her in the shadows at the back of the room and her voice gave him a small startle.

"You do not have the authority to take points away from any house." He said walking towards her. "Tonight I thought we could go over today's lesson, I don't think you actually payed attention." He said, opening her textbook to page ninety-seven.

"It was hard to concentrate, but I heard enough. My potion worked didn't it?" She asked pushing the book away from her.

"Well yes of course it did Miss Weasley, but it was meant to be a colouring potion,

"The same reason you kissed me Miss Weasley." He said. not a potion that would explode and melt your cauldron and leave your friend Hazel in a state of sootiness." Ginny laughed and Snape watched her intently.

"Why sir?"

"Why what Miss Weasley?" He asked.

"Why did you do it?"

"Do what?"

"Kiss me." She said, he thought for a second before answering.

"Oh". Ginny turned her gaze away from his and focused on an ink stain at the end of the desk. It seemed interesting. Snape coughed and she turned her attention back to him. When their eyes met he slammed the textbook shut. "Maybe, Professor…" She begun standing up "we should both test our reasons for kissing each other again… just to see if they are still the same as they were last night." She walked around the desk and stood in front of him. She suddenly realised how tall he was, he as almost a head and a half taller than her. She looked up into his eyes and put her hands on either side of his face and pulled it down towards her.

"Miss Weasley, do not kiss me again." He said sternly. She smiled sweetly.

"Why _sir,_ have your reasons changed?" She asked seductively he looked at her for a second and then kissed her. Ginny was taken surprise at his quick change of heart. She slowly slipped her tongue into his mouth and he moaned sliding his hands down her back feeling her waist beneath his hands. She pulled away from him.

"You confuse me Miss Weasley." He said she raised her eyebrows "One minute you try to tell me that you don't want to see me, the next you are kissing me."

"Surely you expected that, I am only a hormonal teenager after all." She whispered and kissed him on the lips for a second.

"Why aren't you repulsed by me?" He asked.

"I don't know, I was asking myself hat all day. It seems that you have grown on me though." She said he looked away from her. She pushed her body up against him "in many ways" she murmured in his ear before kissing him deeply. As she kissed him she could feel the heat radiating from his face.

When Ginny pulled away from Severus he cleared his throat and looked at her. He was well aware of how much trouble he could get into for doing what he was doing.

"How many detentions do I have left _sir_?" Ginny asked while trying to catch her breath.

"You have three days left I think." He replied looking at her face, he was swept away by her.

"Well, I will have to get in trouble again soon, wont I _professor_?" she asked and walked towards the door. She looked back at him before stepping out.

By the time Ginny got back to her dormitory, her friends were asleep in bed, their curtains drawn, so she pulled some clean pyjamas out of her trunk and went in to have a shower before she went to bed. When she walked out of the bathroom she went over to her bed and pulled the curtain, trying to be as quietly as possible. She sat down on the end of her bed, and felt something sticking into her, she looked towards her bed and screamed, her blood chilled…

So here it is… Finally…Sorry about the long delay we have just had too much work and assignments coming out of ears…there has been no time for any creative thinking of the sort for quite some time…

We hope you enjoyed it! Thanks to all of our reviewers- you guys are awesome. Thanks!

Love,

Sinister Spiders XxX


	5. Making Love to the Giant Squid

_The Midnight Hour_

**CHAPTER FIVE:** Making Love to the Giant Squid

By the time Ginny got back to her dormitory, her friends were asleep in bed, their curtains drawn, so she pulled some clean pyjamas out of her trunk and went in to have a shower before she went to bed. When she walked out of the bathroom she went over to her bed and pulled the curtain, trying to be as quietly as possible. She sat down on the end of her bed, and felt something sticking into her, she looked towards her bed and screamed, her blood chilled…

"Ginny! Shut up!" Hazel hissed, putting her hand over Ginny's mouth. Ginny pushed her away.

"What the hell are you doing Hazel? You cared the shit out of me."

"I was worried about you and it was getting late." Hazel replied defensively.

"It doesn't mean you have to wait for me in my bed!" Ginny snapped pushing Hazel to the other side of the bed and getting under the covers.

"So, why are you so late Ginny?" Hazel asked, Ginny rolled her eyes.

"I told you, I'm cleaning stuff!" Ginny lied.

"Why are you back so late? What's going on- I am worried about you!" Hazel said.

"Look, you don't need to be worried- nothing is going on." Ginny reassured her.

"Ginny, I you have another boyfriend there is no use hiding it from me- I'll find out eventually."

"If I had a boyfriend I would tell you Hazel."

"Well, why are you so late then."

"I was making love to the giant squid, okay?" Ginny said calmly. "Goodnight" she whispered and pushed Hazel off her bed.

"You know Ginny, at about seven o'clock Harry asked me where you were." Hazel whispered to her before she hopped back in bed. Ginny looked over at her, it was too dark to make out her expression. "He wanted to know of you wanted to go for a walk. He likes you Ginny." Hazel said before getting into her bed and closing the curtains.

"I know," Ginny whispered to herself "But just a little too late"

"GINNY! GET UP!" Hazel whacked Ginny across the face with her tie.

"Alright Hazel- you can go now!" Ginny growled and sat up, she really had to work on her waking up skills. Hazel had woken her up almost every single morning since her second year. It was part of their daily routine. As was going to breakfast. Ginny got up and got dressed in her uniform.

"You ready?" Hazel asked her, Ginny nodded and they begun to walk to the door.

"So, where were you last night?" Hazel asked innocently.

"I told you," Ginny said flatly "making love to the giant squid."

"All right then Ginny, lets just pretend I believe you. Have you got 'detention' again tonight?"

"Yes I do." She replied as she stepped into the common room, Harry and Hermione were sitting by the fire looking at an old piece of parchment.

"Hello there!" Ginny said walking over to them, they looked at her and shoved the parchment in-between two books.

"Hey Ginny. How are you?' Harry asked standing up.

"Good, you?"

"Alright thanks… Are you going down to breakfast now?" He said he looked a Hermione and she walked over to Hazel and started talking about astronomy.

"Uh, yeah." Ginny replied.

"Great, do you want to walk with me?" Harry asked, his voice faltering for a second. Ginny looked over at Hazel and Hazel winked at her. Ginny did now want Harry to like her, not now- he couldn't.

"Yeah. Sure."

They walked most of the way without talking, Ginny tried her hardest not to make eye contact with him. She could tell that he wanted to say something to her, but didn't know what. She wasn't sure whether he knew either.

"So Harry… what's been going on?" She asked, hoping to break the awkward silence.

"Not much, I've had a lot of work but that is about it." He said. After he spoke the deadly silence returned. Ginny sighed. "Uh, Ginny. Do you wan to come for a walk with me tonight?" Ginny cursed under her breath.

"I cant- I have detention." She replied.

"Oh. What about tomorrow night?" He asked hopefully, Ginny felt terrible.

"I have detention for two more days… but after that…"

"Great." Harry said, a little disheartened. Ginny's heart dropped. She did not have feelings for Harry anymore, she liked Snape now- she knew it. They walked into the Great Hall and sat down at the Gryffindor table next to each other. She looked up at the teacher's table at Snape, she gave him a small smile and his eyes twinkled with knowledge.

"Hi Ginny." Ron said as he walked towards the table, eyeing Harry suspiciously and wedging himself between her and him.

"Did you have detention again last night?" He asked, Ginny nodded and shoved some toast in her mouth.

"Maybe we should have a talk to Snape." Ron said looking between Ginny and Harry.

"Severus, do you mind if I meet with you on Sunday evening?" Professor Dumbledore asked, looking at him through his half-moon glasses.

"Yes Headmaster, may I ask you what it is about?" He said quietly, Dumbledore's eyes twinkled.

"Nothing new, Severus. Nothing new…" He said as he dribbled maple syrup on his pancakes. Snape knew what it was about, he didn't want to meet with the headmaster. He just wanted to forget about all of the events of the past two years- except for what had happened with Ginny. He excused himself from the table and made his way down to the dungeon where he could prepare the next lesson. He did not have the sixth years today, so he did not have the opportunity of teaching Ginny, but he had her for detention later that evening. He liked her, he knew it. He liked a student. But she as more than just one of his students. She was a young woman who revitalised him.

"Sorry I am late Professor, I was helping Hazel with her transfiguration homework." Ginny said as she walked into the dungeon, Snape looked up from his desk and nodded.

"Very well then." He replied.

"So, what are we doing this lesson, remedial?" Ginny asked, standing in front of the desk.

"You didn't bring your books." He observed looking at her seriously.

"Oops! I guess I will have to scrub out some potion vials." She shrugged, he sat up straight.

"What you will…". Ginny sat down at the front desk, just opposite him and stared at him for a minute or to before walking over to him and leaning over the desk grinning cheekily. She reached over and pulled his face closer to hers and brushed his lips with hers.

""I'd prefer it if I did not have to do any work…" She whispered and kissed him passionately.

Snape tried not to seem taken back by Ginny's confidence around him. She was a very straightforward girl, he was drawn to her. He let her kiss him, thoroughly enjoying it

Ginny laughed as she pulled away from Snape, her eyes twinkled. She slid up onto the desk and kissed him some again, this time more passionately. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and pulled him closer. The warmth of his body penetrated her skin and sent shivers up her spine.

After an hour of detention Ginny stood up and looked at the clock on the wall and realised that she should be getting back. She slid off the desk and kissed Severus' cheek swiftly.

"If you don't mind, I have to go." She replied, he looked at her. "Hazel is always asking why I am getting back so late.

"Have you told her that you are doing remedial potions?"

"Am I?' Ginny asked, shocked.

"No, but you can tell her that you are. Your classes begin next week." He said, smiling at her. Ginny had only ever seen him smile when Slytherin defeated Gryffindor in Quidditch. She laughed and leant over putting her lips and inch from his ear.

"You know," She whispered, "I think I like you…" She smiled and walked out of the classroom…

A/N: Sorry for the long delay in the update, we hope this meets your standards. Thankyou ever so much for your reviews, they are extremely refreshing and encouraging. The next chapter (hopefully) wont take so long, because we have a bit of spare time and inspiration to burn. This chapter actually took a twist as we were writing it, we decided on something that we had never thought about before, and it will reveal itself in a few chapters, we hope you like it!

P.S. Special thanks to: Lyra Lupin … thankyou very much for being such a dedicated reviewer from the start!

P.P.S. Atalanta would also like to thank Wendelin for her help in writing the story, her comedic relief is very much appreciated. Readers please note, if there is something in this chapter that seems random, and out of place-kindly blame Wendelin


	6. One Good Reason

_The Midnight Hour_

**CHAPTER SIX:** One Good Reason.

As the sun rose over Hogwarts the next morning Severus Snape's eyes flickered open. He got out of his four-poster bed and walked into his en-suite bathroom and turned the tap on. He splashed some of the icy cold water on his face and wiped it down with a towel. Slowly, recollections of the past evening drifted into his mind. What happened between him and Ginny was completely inappropriate. He was foolish to have been led on so easily. He had to tell her that it was over. _I've already tried that,_ he thought, _I did a great job of it too_. There was something about Ginny that appealed to him. She captivated him and, Merlin knew, that it had been years since he had had female company of that kind.

Severus turned the taps for the shower and decided that it was best to cancel Ginny's remedial potions lessons. He could not get into a relationship, not now… _and especially not with a student_.

In the Gryffindor common room Ginny scribbled the last few words of her transfiguration essay. She had not completed it the night before and did not want detention with McGonagall. She had woken up early and had a shower, and then decided to complete her homework. As she was writing she had to make sure not to drift off into her memories of last night. There was something about kissing Snape that she thoroughly enjoyed. She knew that she had started to like him, and had failed miserably every time she tried to convince herself that she didn't.

Ginny adjusted her position in the over-stuffed lounge when she heard footsteps. She looked up to see Harry walking into the common room.

"Morning Harry!" Ginny said, he looked at her.

"Morning Ginny." He replied and walked over to her, he plonked down onto the seat beside to her and yawned.

"Why are you up so early?" Ginny asked, _especially without Ron and Hermione_.

"I could ask you the same thing." He replied looking at her roll of parchment.

"Just finishing off an essay for McGonagall." She stated pointing to her work and started to write furiously. She tried to look busy and was well aware of Harry beside her. He wanted to talk to her.

"Ginny, can I ask you something please?" He asked, looking around the common room for other students, Ginny continued writing, trying to ignore him. _The purpose of tran-species transfiguration is… Shit. Ignore Harry… I wonder what Snapes doing… Ignore Harry…_ "Ginny."

"Huh? Oh, sorry Harry. I was concentrating." She said, it was hard to ignore people. Especially growing up in a family like hers.

"Can I ask you something?" He repeated.

"Too late, you already did… Question up… sorry." She said quickly and continued writing. Her stomach was doing flip-flops. After all these years, he wants to ask her now.

"Gin, do you wan-" He stopped, and he swallowed, "-think I need to change quidditch tactics?" Ginny sighed.

"No… they're fine Harry!" She replied, feeling relief seeping through her like an egg has been cracked on her skull.

"Oh- ok… cool." Harry stammered and stood up before stumbling back towards the boy's dormitories.

Ginny watched him go. She didn't know what to do.

Ginny was walking towards the dungeons after lunch on her way to potions class. She had left Hazel in the Great Hall when she refused to leave without finishing her drink. As Ginny walked the familiar route in a zombie-like state she was left to think about Snape. _He is a good kisser_, Ginny thought, _and a teacher, not to mention a death eater… What if mum found out?_ Ginny felt a blinding pain in her side as she fell to the floor.

"What the hell?" Ginny asked looking around to see Snape struggling to keep his balance. When he got his footing he looked at her body on the floor.

"Weasley- ten points off…." He stopped.

"Hey, you ran into me." She cried, Snape's blank expression gave nothing away but a blank expression.

"Very well." He said briskly and walked off.

"HEY!" Ginny yelled after him. He whipped his wand out and turned to face her.

"Lervinutri." He muttered, and Ginny's books piled themselves. He turned and walked away. Ginny got to her feet and followed after him.

As Ginny opened the dungeon door a few minutes later she noticed Snape was alone in the room standing at his desk looking through some papers. He didn't look up to see who had entered the room.

"Professor." Ginny begun, his faced turned towards her quickly. "I think I deserve an apology." She gave him a cheeky grin.

"It was an accident." Snape said curtly. Ginny rolled her eyes and walked over to him.

"I guess that is the best I will get." She sighed, and before she could say anything else Snape has begun talking.

"Miss Weasley-"

"Ginny"

"Miss Weasley, I have decided it is in our best interest to cancel remedial potion. It would be a good idea to cancel your detentions as well, I think you have served your time well enough." _That hurt,_ thought Ginny. She looked at him. Why was she attached to him? He stopped talking and looked her in the eyes. "Don't even think about it We-" he was cut off by Ginny's lips pressed against him own. Ginny kissed him furiously. She couldn't believe what she was doing. As he pulled her body close to his own she felt a nervous stirring in her stomach. After a few moments she pulled away from him.

"Why?" was all she had time to say before she heard the classroom door swing open, but by the time that the group of gaggling Slytherins entered the room she had begun to walk quickly to her normal spot.

Shortly after the Slytherins had interrupted, the rest of the Gryffindors had entered the room and the class had commenced. The lesson was about colour-change potions, one Ginny knew Fred and George had used numerous times in their trick sweets.

"So Ginny, what are you doing tonight?" Hazel asked, Ginny shrugged as she tipped some sliced leeks into her cauldron. "Do you want to go to the library and study for the History of Magic test next week?"

"I don't know if I have detention or not. If I don't I will come and study with you." Ginny replied, Hazel rolled her eyes.

"I think you have had more than your fair share of detentions lately. Snape should just lay off." Hazel whispered to her, so that Snape (who was pacing around the classroom inspecting the simmering potions) couldn't hear.

"They should be over soon." Ginny replied a few moments later as Snape observed her cauldron.

"Miss Weasley," he drawled, she looked up at him with a sarcastic smile. "why is your potion yellow?" He asked, Ginny's brow knitted together in confusion.

"It is meant to be yellow." She said and gave Hazel a sideways glance, Hazel nodded in agreement. "Isn't it?"

"Yes, it is. But why?" Snape asked, his eyes twinkling with amusement.

"Um… because… er…" Ginny stammered "Because it just is!" She grinned and he looked at her and raised his eyebrows.

"I understand that it is yellow. I am asking you _why _ it is yellow." Ginny looked lost. He slammed her potion book on the table in front of her. "Page three hundred and forty eight Weasley. I want you to tell me why the potion is yellow after the bell rings." He said and stalked away.

"_Why is the potion yellow?_ Who cares why it is yellow? It just is. He needs to get a life!" Hazel mocked, Ginny's barely heard what Hazel said but agreed anyway, watching Snape's retreating back.

When the bell rung Ginny emptied out her cauldron and packed all of her books away. She looked up at Snape's desk to see him marking some essays. Hazel tapped her on the shoulder.

"Gin, I am going to go ahead, I need to talk to Flitwick about something." She said and walked out of the room. A few minutes later the rest of the class had filed out of the dungeon and Ginny walked up to the teacher's desk.

"So." She said, Snape looked up from the essays he was marking.

"Miss Weasley, as I said. I don't think that it is a good idea to continue on with your detentions…" He begun.

"But, you said-" Ginny interrupted.

"I know what I said miss Weasley-"

"Ginny."

"Miss Weasley, but I have decided that what has happened in the past few evenings shouldn't have happened and was irresponsible and wrong." Snape finished in an end-of-conversation tone. Ginny was not going to leave it alone.

"Who said it is wrong?" Ginny asked.

"The ministry of magic for one." He said, slightly angrily, Ginny laughed.

"They don't have to know. No body does." She whispered, he shook his head.

"They don't have to know, I agree, but somebody will find out sooner or later. It is not worth the consequences." He told her firmly, now it was Ginny's turn to shake her head.

"We will be careful. I promise." She said, he looked away from her, and Ginny said it. She didn't mean to. It just poured from her mouth. "I like you. I like you a lot." Snape turned to face her again, she could see a battle raging behind his eyes.

"I- Ginny… Miss Weasley. I don't think- it isn't….I…" He begun.

"You like me too. I know it. There is no use denying it." Ginny cried.

"It isn't-" Snape said before Ginny cut in.

"It isn't what? Appropriate? Right? Sensible?" snapped Ginny "Don't even try to tell me you don't want this." Snape looked away from her, for the first time in all of her years of Hogwarts he was lost for words, for graceful comebacks and cool remarks.

"You know what miss Weasley." Snape said after a few minutes of charged silence. "I do want it. I want you. But do you know what else?" He asked her.

"What?"

"I can't have you. I can't want you." He told her.

"Why? Give me one good reason." Ginny demanded exasperatedly.

"I have given you plenty of reasons!" He said, trying to remain calm, but the vein throbbed away and let Ginny know he was getting impatient.

"Yes, you've given me plenty of reasons but none of them were good." She hissed, Snape slammed his hands down on the desk and stood up, he towered over her. She looked up into his eyes, felt their lips drift closer together and within moments they were kissing. Ginny pulled away from him and he looked at her.

"We need to discuss this further." He said "See me tonight for detention."

Ginny ran out of the room as fast as she could hoping she wasn't too late for charms.

Later on that evening, Ginny had excused herself from the common room after breaking the news to Hazel that she had detention. After some complaints about Snape from her best friend, Ginny headed down towards the dungeon. When she entered the room she noticed that Snape was sitting on a chair in the front row. He motioned for her to sit on the seat next to him.

"Before you say anything Weasley," he begun as she sat down, "I want to apologise for everything that has happened in the past few days."

"Why? Didn't you like kissing me?" She asked.

"Yes, I did." He replied honestly.

"Any didn't you say you liked me?"

"Yes, I did."

"And did you not also say that you wanted me?"

"Yes, I did."

"Well, what more is there too it?" She asked, he shook his head.

"It isn't meant to happen." He replied, she reached for his hand and entwined her warm fingers around his cold ones.

"It is meant to happen," she whispered. "And it will be good," she said before she looked at him pleadingly. "What will it take to make you understand?" she asked.

"Will you ever give up?" he asked her, a little breathlessly, she shook her head defiantly.

"No."

Snape lowered his lips onto hers and kissed her.

When Snape pulled away from her she jumped off her chair and wrapped her arms around him, his warm body radiating heat onto her own. He smoothed her vibrant red hair with on hand and planted a kiss on the top of her head.

"I don't know how you talked me into this," came his low hiss in her ear, she looked up at him.

"I can be quiet persuasive some times." She stated evenly and pecked him on the lips.

After an hour-long _detention_ Ginny returned to the common room, feeling light headed. She and Snape had agreed to be with one another. Most of her detention was filled with a satisfied silence with her head leaning on Snape's chest. As she entered the common room she spotted Hazel and walked over to sit with her.

"Ginny!" Hazel said loudly and welcomingly.

"Hey Hazel." She replied with a smile. Hazel inspected her closely.

"You have that look." Hazel determined.

"What look?" asked Ginny.

"The '_I have a boyfriend and I am so in love' _ look" Hazel replied, Ginny laughed.

"Hazel, I don't have a boyfriend, and if I did I would tell you straight away" Ginny reassured her, lying of course. _This isn't going to be easy,_ Ginny thought.

When Snape returned to his bedroom he sat at his desk, with his head in his hand. He has been making excuses that morning, trying to think of reason for not liking the fiery red-head, as he had years before. He couldn't help it. He liked her, he liked her a lot and wanted her as his own. She was what he had always wanted, only younger. _Nothing will go wrong_, he told himself. A split second later a weary owl slammed into his window and he rushed to retrieve it. After opening the window he untied the letter from the owl's leg and opened it.

_Oh no, not again_. He thought….

A/N: Sorry about the long wait people, but Wendelin and I have had exams and assignments coming out of every single orifice. I would like to take the time to thank each and every one of the reviewers, your words have meant a lot. I have tried to take some of the constructive criticism and put it to good use, I hope this chapter was better for you to read.

All feedback is welcome…

Love,

Sinister Spiders


	7. Will You?

_The Midnight Hour_

**CHAPTER SEVEN:** Will you?

_Oh no, not again. _He thought….

Dear Mr. Severus Snape,

We are delighted to remind you that you subscription payment for the Daily Prophet is one month late. As this is your nineteenth reminder in four weeks we are sure that you are aware of the dire circumstances in which you have found yourself. We are aware of your claims that the payment of four knuts got lost in post and that you do not feel that you should have to pay again. Frankly, Mr. Snape, the team here are the Daily Prophet think you are a sack of lying bulbuter puss and wish to inform you that if your payment doesn't seek our financial department within seven days we shall be forced to take action.

Yours truly,

Edmund Barbal

P.S. Have a nice day!

Snape scrunched up the letter and threw it into the rubbish bin beside his desk. "Why don't you just stop sending me the paper then?" he hissed before pulling back the covers on his bed.

The sun was high over Hogwarts the next day and the bulk of students were huddled up in their common room by the fire, trying to gain some warmth. Winter had begun with a brilliant blast of ice and wind, which found the student population cold and grumpy. By the time night had fallen and dinner was serverd most of the students were pleased with the amount of nothing that they had achieved all day, regardless of the amount of homework they had.

Ginny sat in the Great Hall eating her dinner with Hazel, Colin, Ron, Hermione and Harry. Her last night detention left her feeling rather content with herself, despite the blistering cold. She had told herself numerous times that it wasn't going to work out between herself and Snape but she was unable to shake a feeling of content. But, for once in all of her time at Hogwarts, she was slightly disappointed that she did not have a detention. She took the last sip of her pumpkin juice and sat back in her seat.

"So Ginny what are you doing tonight, another _detention_?" Hazel asked.

"Nope," Ginny replied.

"So, what are you doing? I was hoping we could study for the transfiguration exam together?" Ginny looked over at Harry, hoping he had forgotten about their scheduled walk. _No hope,_ he was looking back at her as if to see whether or not she had forgotten.

"Yeah, but later… I am going for a walk first." Ginny said, Hazel nodded knowingly and stood up to walk out of the great hall with a wink. When Hazel had left the room, Harry excused himself and walked over to Ginny, with a nervous smile on his face.

"Are you ready to go?" He asked her, voice slightly shaky. Ginny nodded and stood up. They walked towards the doors together, Ginny paused when she reached the doors and looked over her shoulder at the teachers table. Snape was eating his dinner and talking to Professor Sprout angrily, she looked uninterested.

"You alright?" Harry asked.

"Oh," Ginny stammered, "Yeah sorry." She said as they continued walking.

Harry and Ginny walked towards the entrance hall in silence, the occasional student passing them by. Every so often Harry would open his mouth as if to say something but then shut it quickly. After a few minutes of this Ginny decided to break the awkward silence.

"So, what did you do today?" she asked him.

"Not much really. Some homework for Snape but that's about it." He replied, and Ginny nodded. "You?"

"A great deal of nothing actually. It was quiet relaxing." She stated matter-of-factly, Harry smiled.

"No homework?" He asked her.

"Nope…. Well, not unless you count History of Magic…. But who ever does that?" She asked with a slight laugh.

"Hermione…" Harry sniggered, Ginny laughed also. They had reached the main doors, and Harry had jogged ahead, holding the large oak door open for her, she walked through with a word of thanks. She was greeted by the hostile blast of wind and she shivered, pulling her cloak tightly around her.

"Would you like my cloak?" he asked unfastening the clasp on his cloak.

"No thanks…" She replied.

"Sure?"

"Yes." Harry did the clasp back up and walked closer to her. His body slightly warming her up.

"That way." He said pointing towards the direction of the lake. "You know," he begun, _Oh no!_ thought Ginny "Your friend Hazel is a strange one." He told her, Ginny let out a sigh of relief. She did not want to be asked out by Harry now.

"Why?" she asked, Harry laughed.

"Well, last night when I asked her where you were she told be you were making love to the giant squid." Ginny looked at him seriously.

"I was." For a split second he looked slight taken back, but laughed shortly afterwards. "No, really Harry. Squiddy and I have something very serious going on. I wish you wouldn't laugh at our relationship." Ginny said in a tone of mock offence. Harry laughed and looked at her thoughtfully, Ginny's insides squirmed uncomfortably.

"Are you going to be at quidditch practise on Monday night?" Harry asked.

"I don't think so, I probably have detention." Ginny replied, Harry groaned.

"Snape is such a git sometimes." Harry growled.

"No he's not." Ginny said defensively, Harry looked at her strangely and she cracked a smile. "Ha… got you!" laughed Ginny, in an attempt to cover up her quick defence.

"You always do." Harry smiled and huddled closer to her.

"So where are we going?" Ginny asked looking around, the lake was just ahead and the closer they got to it the colder it seemed.

"It's not much further now." Harry told her and touched her elbow, directing her towards the boat shed.

After another five minute walk in the cold wind Harry stopped outside of the boat shed and slowly opened the door. As far as Ginny knew the boat shed was out of bounds, so naturally it was the kissing point of Hogwarts. She wished that it was Snape with her, not Harry. Ginny was ushered into the shed and was shocked by the warmth inside. She let out a gasp of surprise when she saw that the shed floor was home to a thick purple blanket with two mugs and a plate of cake. Around the shed there were lanterns and in the corner there was a small magical bonfire with pink flames, a special enchantment that spread no further than the wood it was cast on.

"Like it?" Harry asked, shutting the door on the harsh outside weather.

"How did you do it?" Ginny asked looking at her surroundings, Harry grinned.

"That's my secret." After a few seconds of smugness he recomposed himself and remembered his manners "here, sit down" he led her towards the blanket and threw a puffy red pillow on the floor for her to sit on. She sat down slowly and hugged her legs closely to her chest, he joined her on the floor and tapped the mugs with his wand. The mugs filled up with steaming hot hot chocolate and each much had two marshmallows in it. He passed her a mug.

"Thanks" She took a sip of the hot liquid and it immediately warmed up her insides.

"I just thought it would be nice to get away from the castle." Harry told her and he eased into a more comfortable position. There was silence for a few minutes. "Would you like some cake?" Harry asked pointing to one of the most delicious looking chocolate cakes she had ever seen. She was about to refuse but saw the eager look in Harry's eyes.

"Yes please." She said quietly, and he cut a piece for her. Not only did the cake look good, but it tasted amazing, relaxing her completely and filling her with an overwhelming sense of calmness. Harry took a piece of cake too, but did not have any, instead he talked as she ate slowly.

"Gin, I know that you are Ron's sister and all…" he said, his eyes not meeting hers.

"But… well, Hermione said that he probably wouldn't mind…" he looked around the room, eyes frantic, slightly breathless.

"Have some cake." Ginny told him softly, _if you have something in your mouth you can't talk_, she thought hopefully. Harry took a small piece of cake and ate it, after a few seconds he became calm again. _Not entirely what I was hoping for_.

"Well, look. I guess I have been stupid. Wait… I know I have been stupid…" he looked as though he was silently cursing himself. "Okay. What I am trying to say is that, I… I like you." Ginny's heart dropped to the floor, she put her cake on the floor. "And, I was so stupid not to realise that. But… I really like you, and now I know it… well, I want you to know too." _Great. Just great._ "Ginny… will you go out with me?" He asked. Ginny choked on her hot chocolate, he quickly begun to pat her on the back. _Great. Great… what do I say? What do I do?_ She stopped choking. _Choke again…. If I choke I don't have to reply…what do I say, what do I do… don't look at me… don't look at me Harry. _Harry looked at her nervously. _SAY SOMETHING._

"Harry, I-" a cold gust of wind blasted her in the back as the door was ripped open. Ginny turned around and froze. Harry stood up quickly and walked towards the door.

"What is going on in here?" Yelled Snape. Ginny looked at him pleadingly, he stepped into the boat shed angrily and Harry stepped between the Professor and herself.

"Professor. It is not what it looks like." He stated, lost for words other than those. Snape's eyes bore a hole in Ginny's heart, he glared at her with such anger. He didn't seem to hear what Harry said.

"What on earth is going on in here?" He yelled. Harry took a step forward defensively.

"I… we… we were just having something to eat." Harry stammered pointing to the cake that was, now, covering the floor.

"There is plenty to eat in the hall." Snape shouted, rounding on Harry. "Or do you think you are too good for Hogwarts food Potter? Are you too good to be in the castle with everyone else?"

"I just-" Harry begun before he was cut off.

"Just what Potter? Just thought that you would break school rules. AGAIN? And you thought you'd drag Ginny along with you?" He focused on Ginny again. She gave him a pleading look.

"Professor, I-" She begun calmly.

"Fifty points of Gryffindor. Now get back to your common room." Snape yelled before giving Ginny a look of disgust and turning on his heel. Ginny stood up quickly.

"Professor..." She yelled after him, he kept walking. She ran her hand through her hair.

"I'm so sorry Ginny." Harry said frantically, walking over to her.

"I… I have to go." Ginny yelped and ran after Snape.

"Ginny!" Harry called after her, but his voice was lost in the howling of the winter wind. The bitter cold bit at Ginny's face as she ran towards the castle. She did not know what to do. Snape was obviously angry, very angry. She did not want this to happen. She should have gone for a walk with Harry. She knew that he wanted to ask her out, and she still went. She walked right into it. She followed after the fuming professor.

Ginny's footsteps echoed loudly as she ran down the dungeon corridor in pursuit of Snape. He was not far ahead of her, but she resisted calling out in case someone heard her. It would have seemed strange for any student to be calling after Professor Snape. She lost view of him as he rounded a corner so she sped up. When she turned into the corridor she had seen him enter, she could not see him any longer, but she could she his office door not too far ahead so she ran up to it. She knocked on the door and waited impatiently, there was no response. She pressed her ear against the door and heard shuffling inside, so she knocked again. There was still no response.

"Professor, please open the door." She pleaded, no response. "Look, it was nothing, really. It must have looked much worse than it seemed." She knocked again and was aggravated by a continued lack of response. "Just open the door." She cried out. There was still no response. She tried to turn the door handle, but it was locked, she pulled out her wand "Alohomora" she whispered, the lock clicked and she pushed the door open. Snape was sitting at his desk, as she walked in he looked up at her. "Look, nothing happened okay." She told him, trying to sound calm.

"Miss Weasley, you know for a fact that students don't go to the boat shed so nothing can happen." He jeered, glaring at her.

"I didn't know he was taking me to the boat shed, and honestly, nothing happened." She told him slowly, he shook his head and sighed.

"So, you are trying to tell me that all he wanted to do was feed you hot chocolate and cake?" he asked, sarcasm plaguing his voice.

"Well, no…. but-" she was interrupted by Snape.

"So something did happen?" he asked, Ginny breathed in deeply, trying to calm herself. Her stomach was rolling around in her body and she felt as though she was ready heave her dinner up through her throat.

"I'm not going to lie to you…. He did ask me out…." She said slowly, trying to sound as truthful as she was being.

"And you said yes?" He snapped standing up, and then he took a breath and sat back down in an attempt to regain composure.

"No, I didn't have time to say anything before you barged right on in." she told him bitterly.  
"Sorry, but I wasn't aware that teachers had to knock on the boat shed door to warn fornicating students of their arrival." Snape hissed.

"For Merlin's sake! There was no fornication. Don't you understand? He asked me out, that is it! There was no kissing, no touching, and no sexual behaviour of any kind. What, do you think that I am that easy? Do you think that I would let any old sod touch me?" She asked, annoyed at Snape's irrational behaviour.

"No. I didn't say that." Snape said slowly, Ginny raised an eyebrow at him.

"I am telling you the whole and complete truth, all that happened was that he asked me out. And do you know what I was going to say?" Ginny asked him bitterly, he looked away.

"No." He admitted.

"Do you want to know?" She asked, he thought for a second before answering slowly.

"Yes."

" I was going to tell him," Ginny begun angrily, but then soothed her tone "I was going to tell him that I can't go out with him. I was going to tell him that I don't like him anymore, and that I am happy just being his friend." Snape looked at her "Do you want to know why I was going to tell him that?" she asked.

"Why?" Snape did not have the motivation to argue with her, he knew he was fighting a loosing battle.

"Because I have fallen in love with you." She yelled, throwing her arms up in the air. _Shit._ Suddenly she froze, realising what she had just said. The words seemed alien to her, yet somehow they fit. Snape stared at her for what seemed an eternity. She was silently cursing herself for what she said. He opened his mouth to say something and then closed it again, speechless. Ginny closed her eyes and tried to steady her erratic breathing. Trying, but failing.

"I…" Snape begun, Ginny's eyes snapped open and she looked at him evenly, "You… you didn't mean that." He told her, she nodded slowly.

"Yes. I did." She admitted, she felt compared to tell him the truth, to bear her soul to him. Snape stood up and walked over to the door.

"Go back to your common room Miss Weasley." He said as he ushered her out. She refused to step over the threshold.

"Don't push me away. I told you I loved you. And I do." She told him sternly, he looked down into her. Her eyes met his. "I love you Severus" she whispered. He lowered his lips onto her and kissed her passionately. Ginny's heart fluttered uncontrollably as she luxuriated under the influence of his kiss, the feeling of his cold lips against hers. He wrapped his arms around her as they kissed, pulling her body close to hers. When he pulled away from her he smoothed her hair.

"I love you too." He replied, with what could only be described as a smile. Not a smirk, or a sneer, but a genuine smile. She had never seen him smile before, unless she counted the times when Slytherin beat Gryffindor.

Ginny smiled back at him and stepped away from him, shutting the door. She walked back over to him.

"I'm sorry that I went for a walk with Harry, but I didn't know what was going to happen, and I wanted to let him know that I wasn't interested in him anymore." She told him, he nodded.

"I understand. I overreacted." He said, Ginny laughed.

"Ah, so the mean, evil potions master is admitting he is wrong?" she mocked, with a sweet smile.

"No," he replied "the _mean, evil_ potions master is simply admitting he overreacted. And the mean, evil potions master has to go for a meeting with the virtuous and powerful headmaster before he looses his dull and repetitive job." He told her as though he was talking to a toddler.

"Really?" She asked, slightly disheartened, he nodded and headed for the door, but turned around and planted a kiss on her cheek.

"I do love you." He whispered before walking out of his office.

"Clinkers" Said Severus to the stone gargoyle. The Garygoyle sprung to life and allowed him entrance to the passageway that led to Dumbledore's office. He was still thinking about what had happened so far that evening. He knew that he shouldn't have reacted as he did when he found Ginny and Harry in the boat shed. When he opened the door he felt his stomach drop to the floor, he felt as though he had been betrayed. He told himself that he should have expected it, that he should of known that something like this was bound to happen, but thinking it and seeing it was completely different. The feeling that he got when he saw Ginny and Harry together hurt him mote than he thought it would. More than it should. He now knew how he felt about her, he recognized that gut-wrenching feeling. He hadn't expected Ginny to say that she loved him, it was so soon, _but then again love isn't determined by time_.

As he rounded the corner and arrived at the door of Dumbledore's office it opened to reveal the headmaster at his desk with a pleasant smile on his face. _I am glad you have something to smile about_, Severus thought bitterly. He took a seat in front of Dumbledore's desk, and with a wave of his wand he shut the office door. Dumbledore then withdrew his own want and stood up, then walked around his circular office, wand tip on the wall, once he had completed a full circle he took a step back and whispered an incantation. He returned to his seat.

"Severus," he said "Thank you dor coming." Dumbledore's eyes twinkled. "As you are undoubtedly aware, the time has come for you to go on a mission for the Order. You will be away for two weeks, the end of November and the beginning of December, so you should have plenty of time to prepare. You will not need many potions, but I will give you a list on Monday. Other than that I will save the details for later, but I do wish to warn you that this mission is incredibly dangerous, but I want to give you the opportunity to refuse. I have a feeling you already know what it is." Dumbledore explained, _I don't really have much of a choice._

"I look forward to it." Snape said, trying to sound more enthusiastic than he was feeling.

"On a much happier note," Dumbledore chimed in cheerily, "how do you like the new blankets? They have all been charmed with a self-warming charm!"

"Mmm…" Sighed Severus "Much better. They stay warm for much longer." _They are blankets, for Merlin's sake!_

"Oh, look at the time!" Cried Dumbledore standing up. "I am sorry, but I must run. I have an appointment with a nice warm mug of butter beer at Rosemerta's!" Severus stood up and walked over to the door, holding it open for the headmaster, and then followed him out.

"Goodnight then." Severus said. Dumbledore began to walk away but stopped and turned.

"I do hope that three weeks is time enough to tie up your _affairs_." He said, and with a small knowing twinkle in his eyes, he turned and walked off.

Ginny stepped through the Gryffindor portrait hole and looked around, thankfully Harry was nowhere to be seen, and her friends were not there, they were most likely in the library studying. She decided to go up to her dorm room and get her books so she could go and study with Hazel. As she climbed the stair case she heard her name called out, she turned around to see Hermione, grinning.

"Where's Harry?" she asked, Ginny felt terrible.

"I'm not sure." She replied, Hermione looked at her questioningly.

"Oh."

"When we went for our 'walk' Snape found use." Hermione scrunched her face up.

"So did he…." Her voice trailed off, so that it 'he didn't' she wouldn't have given anything away. Ginny nodded.

"Yeah, he did." She told her in a melancholy tone.

"And what did you say?" excitement seeping into Hermione's voice, Ginny shook her head.

"I didn't get to say anything, that is when Snape barged in." Ginny explained, Hermione looked at her sympathetically.

"Aren't you happy?" Hermione asked, she knew that Ginny had wanted this for a long time.

"I… I just better talk to Harry." She said and turned around to get her books.

The next day was just as cold as the one before, just as snowy, and just as academically unproductive. Ginny was huddled up in the common room for most of the morning, putting quill to parchment, but doodling instead of writing.

Severus sat in his office, marking essays absent-mindedly. Thinking about what to tell Ginny, if he was going to tell her at all. _I have to_, he thought, _I am sure she will notice me missing after a day_. He knew for a fact that his 'mission' was going to be dangerous, all missions for the order were. A month ago he would not have minded risking his neck so deliberately, but now it was different. Now he had more to come back to than just a pile of essays waiting correction and a couple of hundred whining students. He knew that, as soon as it was, he did love Ginny and that he would hate to loose her. He wasn't even sure whether or not she knew he was a death eater or not, he didn't know how she would take it. Surely the time would come that she would find the dark mark emblazoned on his arm, and how would she react then? Would it be better to tell her first? _I probably should._ When was he going to tell her about this new mission? He had to decide. He couldn't just get up and leave without saying goodbye.

He put his quill down and decided to take a walk to clear his head, to try and sort out what he was going to do. To, 'tie up his affairs' as Dumbledore has coincidentally put it. _Maybe it wasn't a coincidence,_ Snape thought as he stood up.

Ginny heard footsteps walking towards her, she looked up to see Harry approaching and decided to look busy. She started to scribble random sentences on her parchment furiously, in attempt to defer him.

"You busy?" He asked, _what does it look like?_

"Um, just a little" she said motioning to her parchment, he sat down beside her and cleared his throat.

"About last night," he said, Ginny wrote even more determinedly. "I am sorry about what happened, I didn't think Snape would walk in."

"S'ok" Ginny mumbled, feigning concentration.

"Well, anyway. When I asked you out you didn't have time to respond to me… so, do you want to go out with me?" He asked, a cute smile tugging at the corner of his lip. Ginny took a deep breath in and put her quill down.

"Sorry Harry." She said quietly and shook her head.

"Sorry?" He asked, ignoring her body language.

"Yeah, I'm sorry. I can't." She said, he looked as though he had taken a blunger to the chest, it hurt Ginny to see him so disjected. "Look, I think that we would be better off as friends." She explained.

"I like you a lot Gin," he begun, she interrupted him.

"I know Harry," she whispered "I used to like you too, but things change." She told him. He cleared his throat and stood up. "I got over you months ago…"

"Well, see you around then." He and walked towards the portrait hole as fast as his feet could carry him, ignoring Hermione's attempts to talk to him or stop him. After he stepped out of the common room Hermione walked over to Ginny.

"What happened?" she asked, sitting down on the seat just vacated by Harry.

"I said no." Ginny told her, and started to write again. Hermione looked shocked.

"What do you mean?" She asked, Ginny put her quill down again.

"I told him that I think we would be better off just being friends." She explained.

"Why?"

"Because things have changed, I don't like him in that way anymore." Ginny told Hermione.

"Is there someone else?" Hermione asked. Ginny focused her energy on shaking her head, how she wished she could tell Hermione the truth.

"No."

"Why, then?" Hermione asked.

"I just think that we are better as friends. That's all. And I have gotten over him." She told her. Hermione sighed and looked at her parchment.

"What's that for?" She asked, Ginny tried to cover the words with her elbow.

"Oh, history of magic." Ginny say in a tone that would have aroused suspicion in a carrot.

"I see." Hermione said standing. Before she walked off she leant down and put her mouth to Ginny's ear. "By the way Ginny," she whispered "history of magic has nothing to do with the ingredients of a colour change potion." She stalked off.

A/N: Well, sorry again about the wait, but the exams are over for two months. So, We should be able to write more in less time. Anyway, thanks for all of the reviews, we love hearing/reading feedback. Hmm… best be off…

Love,

Sinister spiders


	8. Snake and Skull

_The Midnight Hour_

**CHAPTER EIGHT:** Snake and Skull

Ginny sat at her desk, listening to the droning voice of Professor Binns, saying something about the Goblin revolutions. Ginny was watching the clock on the wall with anticipation. As the weekend was over she was now able to go to potions and see Severus again. She also had detention with him that evening and looked forward to spending some time with him. The previous night she had gone to quidditch training shortly after her talk with Harry. He hadn't taken it too well, and he had ignored her for most of the session, Ron kept shooting suspicious glances between them and Ginny had the sneaking suspicion that he had no idea about what was going on.

As soon as the bell chimed to symbol the end of the lesson Ginny stuffed her belongings into her bag quickly and stood up.

"Why are you in such a rush?" Hazel scoffed, looking at Ginny with a raised eyebrow.

"I just want to get out of here." Ginny said.

"Well, don't rush, we only have potions next." Hazel told her, Ginny did not tell her friend that she was, in fact, looking forward to the lesson with the potions master. Ginny slung her bag on her back and tapped her foot impatiently waiting for Hazel. As Hazel put her last book in her bag Ginny heard the droning voice of the ghostly history of magic professor.

"And why, miss Weasley, have I not found your essay in my pile?" He asked slowly, Ginny turned around.

"You see professor," she begun, but didn't continue because of the tutting sounds the ghost was making.

"Don't even try to give me any of your creative excuses miss Weasley, this is your last warning. If you do not start completing your homework I think I will have to put you on detention." Binns said, Ginny nodded and walked out with Hazel on her heel.

Ginny took her seat at her usual desk in potions and waited for Severus' arrival. Hazel was sitting beside her complaining about the amount of transfiguration work they had been given.

"It does suck." Ginny replied when Hazel said that she didn't have any free time. "Hey Hazel, how are things going with you and Colin?" Ginny whispered, carefully so that Colin could not hear.

"They aren't going. I've told you that. What about you and Harry?" Hazel asked in return.

"They aren't going either. He asked me out but I said no." Ginny explained, Hazel was dumbstruck.

"So, you are playing hard to get?" She asked, Ginny shook her head. "Are you telling me that I have listened to you blabber on about him for years and you don't want to go out with him?"

"Pretty much, yeah." Ginny said carelessly.

"Why?"

"I got sick of waiting. Plus, I don't like him anymore and I don't think it would be worth ruining a perfectly good friendship." When she finished talking the dungeon doors flung open and Snape walked in looking very angry.

"Everyone be quiet." He snapped, the class was silent immediately. He looked over them, his eyes lingering for slightly longer on Ginny, taking her in. "I was informed by Professor Dumbledore this morning that a number of students in this class had been using colour change and other such potions outside of class, and outside of supervision. As potions master, it is my responsibility to make sure this does not happen. You are all provided with the right resources to empty out your cauldrons and dispose of the potion, and not take them with you with out permission from myself. I have to warn you that any students caught sneaking a potion out will be given a weeks worth of detentions, and be made to perform all sorts of miserable tasks." He said, Ginny grinned, and Hazel nudged her. Snape gave them all a stern look before speaking again. "Now, I have wasted enough time, take out the ingredients for a invisibility potion and begin brewing immediately."

The lesson went by quickly, Severus pacing the room and eyeing the students suspiciously before criticising them for the lack of potion brewing skills, when he peered into Ginny's cauldron he tutted quietly and walked away. Ginny resisted the urge to blow him a sarcastic kiss. When the bell rung he made sure that all students were disposing of their potions properly.

"Ginny, what are you doing?" Hissed Hazel as Ginny ladled some invisibility potion into a small phial.

"He wont catch me, don't be silly." Ginny said, corking the small amount of potion and slipping it into her bag.

"Hold on right there Miss Weasley!" Severus hissed, walking over to her desk, pushing students aside, she dropped the phial into her bag quickly and looked up at him. "Empty your bag." He demanded, the students turned to look around at Ginny.

"No." she replied, trying her best to sound innocent.

"That wasn't a request." He growled, Ginny looked at him.

"Oh, that's nice to know." She replied picking her bag up, he put out a hand to stop her retreat.

"Empty it." Ginny rolled her eyes before emptying the contents of her bag onto the desk, the offending phial rolling onto the table for all to see. Severus picked it up and held it high.

"What were you going to use this for?" He asked glaring at her.

"Oh, you know the usual. Sneaking off, unauthorised fornication." She explained as though it was no big deal.

"No doubt sneaking off with your little boyfriend Potter." He mocked, Ginny caught his eyes, he had a mischievous glint in them.

"You never know." Ginny told him.

"Ten points off Gryffindor and detention for a week. Now get out." He told her before walking to the front of the room. Ginny took extra long to pack her books away, Hazel waited with her. As she walked past Severus she winked at him and a smile tugged at the corner of his mouth, Hazel dragged Ginny out, eager to get to lunch.

That evening Ginny showed up for her detention on time, striding into the dungeon. Severus was sitting at his desk again, marking some essays. She walked up to him and put her head on his desk.

"So, what disgusting task do you have lined up for me?" She asked, he looked up at her.

"Oh I don't know." He sighed, "How about you kiss me? Is that disgusting enough?" He asked slyly, she laughed.

"That is just gross." She said before planting her lips on his, after a relatively short kiss he pulled away from her.

"Sit." He told her, motioning to a seat beside his desk. She sat down, and he pushed a quill and some parchment in front of her, she furrowed her eyebrows. "Your not going to do anything, just look like you are." He explained quietly, she nodded and smiled.

_ I have to tell her_, he thought He sighed and brought his hand up to his face to rub his nose, the sleeve of his robe fell down and Ginny bit her lip. He hurried to pull his sleeve back over the skull and snake emblazoned on his arm. Ginny pushed his hand away and slid the sleeve of his robe back up.

"Ginny-" He begun, she put a finger to his lips and looked at the marking. He did not want her to find out like this. "Ginny. Don't." He hissed, trying to pull his arm away.

"Stay still." She hissed back, forcing his arm to the desk, he could have resisted if he really tried.

"I…" He begun, but was cut of again by a silencing finger.

"I haven't seen one of these before." She told him softly, he was thankful for that. "Except for the ones in the sky, of course." She continued, looking closer at the macabre image. "Does it hurt?" she asked, he shook his head.

"No." He told her, and tried to withdraw his arm, she wouldn't let go. "Ginny. You shouldn't be looking at it." He told her.

"It's a horrible image." She said decidedly, tracing her fingers around the outline of the skull, he shivered at her soft touch. "Why?" She asked softly, looking up at him. She let go of his arm, he quickly covered up the dark mark.

"It isn't important." He told her.

"I want to know." She said, holding the hand on his unmarked arm. He hesitated for a long wile. _Should I tell her? What do I tell her_. She looked into his eyes and he looked away, ashamed of what he had done many years ago.

"It's a long story." He told her.

"We've got all night." She whispered. She looked at him, kindness burning in her eyes. He loved her eyes, they held so much of her character. He considered what he would and wouldn't say, wanting to tell her. He could tell her what he couldn't explain to Dumbledore, what he was to embarrassed to explain. He knew that he needed to tell her. She sat there patiently, rubbing her thumb against his hand.

"When I was at school…:" he began, Ginny met his eyes. "I… wasn't really accepted. When I went home during the holidays, I would have to bear witness to my father and my mother fighting." He looked away from her, eyes stinging; it was hard for him to recount his childhood. "My dad would hit us, both of us. Then, when I went to school I ... begun to like a girl." He had to tell her the truth; he didn't want to hide it from her. "She was the only one who ever stood up for me, the only one who really cared. But she ended up going out with someone else, telling me that she felt sorry for me." Ginny tightened her grip on his hand reassuringly. He smiled painfully at her. "_They_ were the ones who accepted me, I felt like I was one of them. After never fitting in, never being loved, I finally found a group of people willing to watch out for me, genuinely interested in me." He explained, trying to keep back decades of pain. "The dark lord offered me protection in the dark times to come, he offered me a way to feel as though I was important… but I was wrong. I was young and stupid. I thought that they would care, but they are to sly and selfish to care." Ginny nodded. "It was about acceptance." He concluded, he looked at her, she looked thoughtful, concentrating on him hard. He closed his eyes are the silence grew thicker, he didn't know what else to say. She sat there brooding. Finally she opened her mouth, Severus took a sharp breath in.

"I've heard rumours about you being one." She told him gently, taking his left arm in hers, rolling up his sleeve. She looked at the dark mark again. "I didn't think much of it… but seeing it…" she looked him in the eyes "I never thought… I never understood why anyone would ever do it." He looked away from her. "But, it is over isn't it?" She asked, he nodded soberly. She sighed and he wiped his eyes hastily, before any moisture could escape. She lowered her lips to his forearm and kissed the loathsome mark softly, he shuddered, "It is in the past." She whispered, and kissed him softly. While kissing Severus stood up, Ginny following his lead, he pulled her into a tight embrace.

"I love you." He hissed in her ear, squeezing her.

"And I love you. No matter what you have done." She told him. They say back down, holding hands.

"I have to tell you though," he said, mood increased reasonably, "I do still do undercover work for Dumbledore, but I am on his side." Ginny scrunched her face up and nodded.

"Do they use a branding potion?" She asked running her hand over his forearm, he nodded.

"At least I know you are learning something from me." He drawled, she rolled her eyes.

They spent just under an hour discussing meaningless things such as the weather, favourite foods and colours, before it was time for Ginny to return to her common room. With one last kiss she trudged back up to Gryffindor tower, and Severus returned to his room.

Ginny was roused out of her sleep the next morning by a pillow hitting her square in the face, she groaned and looked at the pillow thrower. She was expecting to see Hazel, but instead there was a knobbly house elf wearing a tailored dishcloth and a purple, green and orange tie. His eyes bulged.

"Dobby is not happy with the young Weasley girl!" He squeaked, Ginny sat up in her bed and looked around, Hazel stood at the other side of the dormitory, horrified.

"What?" Ginny asked, shocked by her violent awakening.

"Dobby is mot happy with you miss!" He squeaked, Ginny raised her eyebrows.

"What did I do?" Ginny asked defensively.

"You, miss, did not go out with Harry Potter." He explained, breathing deeply.

"I didn't want to ruin our friendship." She told the house elf, but then wondered why, she did have to justify herself.

"But Harry Potter likes the Weasley girl!" Dobby howled, before throwing himself at the bed, smashing his head on the four poster.

"Dobby! Stop that this instant." Ginny commanded, Dobby grudgingly pulled his head away from the bed post. "Why are you so angry?" Ginny asked.

"Dobby and Harry Potter went to a lot of trouble to try and fix up the boat shed for you Miss Weasley, a lot of trouble." Dobby explained angrily.

"I understand Dobby, and thank you for all of that trouble, but, I don't like Harry Potter- Harry, anymore." She tried to explain, he shook his head.

"But Harry Potter likes you, young Weasley!" Dobby squawked, Ginny groaned.

"I understand that now Dobby, but, you should know that for a relationship to work the people need to like _each other_. Harry is a nice guy, but I don't like him like _that_, and if I did go out with him it would hurt him more than if I didn't." Dobby blinked "Do you understand?" Ginny asked, with a pop Dobby vanished and Ginny dropped onto her bed. Hazel walked over to her slowly, and sat on her bed beside her.

"Woah. That was one peculiar house elf." Hazel said, Ginny nodded. "Are you alright?" Hazel asked.

"Yeah," Ginny said while walking over to her trunk to get her uniform.

"Ginny, are you going out with someone?" Hazel asked, being a normal best friend. Ginny hesitated.

"No. I just don't like Harry anymore. I am over him." She said simply, and Hazel just nodded.

"What did the git make you do for detention last night?" Hazel asked, Ginny's insides tickled with anger at the word git, but she held it back.

"I just had to rewrite my essay on branding potions." She said, pulling on her robes. Not too long ago she would have been happy to call Severus a git, but not now. Now she could understand, to some extent, why he did act like a git at times. She felt sorry for him.

After she was dressed Ginny walked down to the common room as she descended the staircase she saw Harry, Ron and Hermione whispering to each other by the fire. She walked over to them and cleared her throat loudly. They stopped whispering immediately and turned to face her.

"Harry, can I speak to you please?" She asked, Harry looked at her and nodded, walking her over to the opposite corner of the room.

"What is it?" He asked, looking over her shoulder at Ron and Hermione.

"Harry, I got a visit from your little friend Dobby earlier this morning." She told him, he looked shocked. "I just want to say thankyou for all of the trouble that you went to, to fix up the boat shed for me. I really did appreciate it, it was sweet. I also want to tell you that you are a very nice guy," He looked away from her "you really are, but I don't think it is such a good idea for us to go out. I have had plenty of time to think about it. I don't think it would be good, because Ron is my brother, and your friend. He shouldn't have to be in that position." Ginny explained.

"Alright." Harry said, looking at her in the eyes again, she smiled at him and he smiled back weakly. "I'm sorry about Dobby as well." He said, Ginny laughed.

"It's okay, but you really should tell him not to beat himself up so much, it is pretty disturbing." Harry laughed.

That night Ginny walked down to the dungeons, and walked into her classroom, she walked straight up to Severus and smiled at him.

"What will it be tonight?" she asked happily, he gave her a meaningful look and pushed a piece of parchment into her hand.

"You can write me an essay on the uses of a colour change potion, from the seventeenth century onwards." He told her, "take a seat." He motioned to the almost empty classroom, when she turned around she saw Ron sitting in the back of the room savagely cleaning out some potion phials. She looked back at Snape. "That's right Miss Weasley, your brother has detention as well, trouble seems to run in the family." She nodded and retreated to a seat in the midsection of the classroom. Ginny turned around and looked at Ron sympathetically, he took a deep breath in and resumed cleaning. She begun to write the essay she was told to write half heartedly. All the while she could hear Ron's ferocious scrubbing and Severus' quill scribbling ticks over some work he had to mark.

After an hour of silence Severus finally spoke.

"Okay Weasley, detention is over." He said, both Ginny and Ron begun to pack up. "Miss Weasley, you still have another half hour. It is your brother who can go." Ron threw the sponge at the holder by the sink before walking down the centre of the classroom, waving at Ginny on the way. He slammed the door on his way out. "Your brother has quiet a temper." Snape commented, Ginny nodded.

"You would too if you had lived with Fred and George for as long as he had." She told him with a smile.

"So, how's the essay going?" He asked, putting his quill down.

"Eh." She replied, putting her own quill down.

"Have you read the chapter on colour change potions yet?" He asked, he had not set it for homework, so naturally, she had didn't do it.

"No. Not yet." She told him, he nodded and walked over to her. He stood behind her and looked at her essay. She hadn't written much besides an introduction and one paragraph, which contained the information he had taught the class.

"Your introduction and conclusion are always strong." He told her as he read over her work. "You just need to work on getting all of the facts into the main body smoothly." He explained, she nodded and looked up at him.

"Thanks." She said with a smile.

"I don't just hand out random marks, so you know, there are guidelines I use." He said seeing her face. She laughed.

"Well, it's good to hear that you know, I thought you always gave me a b or c because you had a crush on me. Now I know better." She laughed.

"How do you now I didn't?" He asked before kissing her on the cheek, and then on the neck.

"Well, you're a dirty old sod aren't you?" She asked slyly. She turned to face him and kissed pecked him on the lips. "How old are you?" She asked him.

"You don't need to know that." He told her, she shrugged.

"It doesn't really matter anyway." She said and kissed him. He was thankful that she didn't pursue the topic further. She leant her head back onto his chest. "You know, my family isn't really that bad." She told him, he stroked her hair. "You've met my parents, they are good people." She wanted him to understand that.

"They are." He agreed slowly, she smiled.

"And, just because my family associates with muggles, it doesn't mean that they are dirty." She said, he nodded "Look at Hermione, she is such a wonderful witch, and she is muggle-born." Ginny said, Severus was silent. "You don't have to be pureblood to be a good witch or wizard." She said.

"I know, I am half-blood." He told her, he understood what she was saying. She looked up at him, surprised.

"I always just assumed," She begun, he shook his head.

"Well, I am halfblooded. My father was a muggle, my mother was the magical one." He explained. "I don't know how they met, but I know my father resented that he wasn't magical and that my mother and myself were. He told her that he didn't want her to use magic at home, and when it came time, he told me the same thing too. He hid my mother's wand most of the time so she couldn't use it." He explained, voice brimming with hatred. Ginny kissed him on the cheek and hugged him.

After half an hour Ginny left and Severus went back to his desk to continue marking homework. He felt comfortable around Ginny, as though he could tell her things. He had told people before, but nobody had listened the way she had. Nobody just accepted it. She allowed him to talk at his own pace, tell what he wanted to tell. He appreciated her immensely and was glad that she was his. He looked at an essay and picked up his quill, ready to mark it. _I should have told her about going away_, he thought, but then he pushed it to the back of his mind. He would tell her sooner or later, when the right moment came about. For now though, he thought it could wait, he wasn't ready to tell her just yet.

A/N: There you have it, chapter eight. Well, it was definitely interesting to write. Also, ifI tried to reformatthis chapter to make it easier to read, but unfortunately,I think isslighlty alergic to anny attempts i make to fix it up. So, sorry about that. If anyone has any advice,I am more than willing to hear! Anyway, thanks a lot for all of your reviews, they are deeply appreciated.

Love,

Sinister Spiders

P.S. Just so you know, this doesn't really follow the lines of HBP, because we begun writing it before the book was released. So, just read and enjoy, and what happens will happen.


	9. Vervei Lattus

_Warning: _This chapter contains some content not suitable for people under sixteen.

_The Midnight Hour_

**CHAPTER NINE:** Vervei Lattus

A long cold week passed by, Ginny had completed her sentence of detentions and thoroughly enjoyed it. As the week passed, Ginny and Severus got to know each other better, and their understanding of each other grew slightly. Severus had begun to prepare for his trip according to the list Dumbledore had given him, but he had not told her about it yet. As time passed it became harder to talk about it, and even think about it.

Severus sat in his office, provided warmth by the fireplace raging near by. He kept watch over a simmering potion as he planned for the lessons his classes were to learn while he was away. He hadn't forgotten Dumbledore's comment about tying up his affairs. He wondered if the Headmaster knew what was going on between him and the youngest Weasley. Surely, if he did, he would put a stop to it. Ginny's week of detentions was over, and she had 'remedial' potions two nights a week, but other than that he was stretched for reasons to see her. They had both decided that it would probably be better if Ginny didn't have too many detentions, it would probably seem suspicious. In an hour Ginny had one of her scheduled remedial potions lessons, so Severus was happy to find things to occupy his mind while he passed the time.

In the Gryffindor common room Ginny and Hazel were doing their divination homework together, laughing as they did it. They were given an essay to write on all of the omens they had seen in the past year and the effect it has had on their life. Naturally, they had seen no omens, so they predicted death in all sorts of ways, describing narrow escapes thanks to the devices of tooth floss and toe nail clippings. They had also predicted the arrival of great fortune, swindled, according to the stars, by a vicious gambling habit which lead to alcoholism.

"Well, I think I have died seven times, wasted away three fortunes, eaten thirteen poison Bertie Botts and found my true love twice, once in the form of a giant squid, and another time in the form of a tall, dark and handsome broom closet." Ginny stated, drawing her last full stop in the shape of a grim. Hazel laughed, writing the last few words of her essay. When she finished she looked around.

"I wonder where Colin is." She said, Ginny smiled.

"You know Hazel, I don't think that there is much chance that he is going to ask you out. He is so slow sometimes. You should ask him out." Ginny told her, Hazel looked affronted.

"I know this is stupid, but I am a bit old fashioned, I think he should have the guts to ask me out. And if he doesn't… well… tough!" Hazel said, still looking around. Ginny laughed.

"He's over there." She said, pointing to the lounge in the darkest area of the room, away from the fire. He sat there with Dennis, in a heated conversation about something; he looked over at Hazel and Ginny and waved. Hazel turned away and made a looked at a random spot on the wall. Ginny motioned to Colin, and pointed to her, he nodded. "Hazel, he's coming over." Ginny said excitedly, Hazel didn't turn around.

"Good." Was all she said, Colin made his way across the common room and tapped Hazel on the shoulder, she turned around and smiled at him.

"How are you?" He asked, she shrugged and looked away. "Hey, can we talk?" He said, Hazel nodded eagerly and stood up. They walked a few meters away from Ginny, but before long she saw Hazel leap at Colin and crush him into a hug. He laughed and kissed her on the cheek. Ginny wished that it was that easy for her and Severus to be together. Hazel gave Ginny a wink and walked off to a lounge near the fire with Colin. Ginny smiled and packed her books away, it was probably time for her to get going.

Severus heard footsteps coming toward his office and looked at the clock on his wall, it would probably be Ginny. He stood up from his seat and walked over to the door, opening it and peering out.

"Miss Weasley." He said she looked at him. "Detention will be in my office this evening." He told her, he held the door open for her and she walked in. When he shut the door she spoke.

"What's the special occasion Severus?" She asked, standing on her toes to kiss him on the lips.

"None really. I have a potion brewing that I cannot move into the classroom." He explained in a bored voice, she nodded and pulled him close to her.

"So, what are you brewing?" she asked.

"I'll let you guess." He told her and held her hand, and led her over to the fireplace. She scrunched her nose up at the smell. The potion was a dark grey colour, very thick, and it reeked. She pulled a potion encyclopaedia from a pile of books on Severus' desk and started flicking through it. He stood behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist as she read. "Try that one." He said pointing to the page she was on.

"Is it a Fortif Meritus?" she asked.

"No." he replied, she furrowed her eyebrows.

"But you said to try that one." She said.

"I know." He replied, kissing her on the forehead. "Why isn't it a Fortif Meritus?" he asked, she looked at it closer.

"Because it says here that the Fortif Meritus smells like dirt. That one just smells like poo." She told him, he snickered.

"That's right. Keep looking." He told her, she flicked through the pages until she found another potion called Vervei Lattus.

"That one." She said pointing to it, it fit the description.

"And it is not meant to smell like _poo_," he told her, "It smells like rotting corpses." Ginny shuddered.

"It says that it is a really strong life preserving potion." She said and turned to look at him.

"Indeed it is." He said in his dull, droning potion master voice.

"Why are you brewing tha-" She was cut off by his lips pressing against her own. He kissed her passionately and ran his hands down the small of her back, and then back up, resting them on her waist, and pulled her sharply against his body, she kissed him harder, bringing her hands and resting them on his shoulders. After kissing for a short time longer she pulled her body slightly away from his and brought his hand up to her breast. He stopped kissing her.

"Ginny…" He begun, but she put her finger to his lip. He kissed her finger and then brushed it off his lip. "Are you sure?" He asked.

"Of course I am sure." She told him, before kissing him again. He let his hand roam over her the top of her robes. It had been quiet a while since he had touched a woman in this way and his body reacted accordingly. After a few more minutes of feverish kissing Severus stepped away from her. _Tell her,_ he thought, she smiled at him sweetly taking his hand in her own.

"So, what's the potion for?" She asked, he wanted to tell her the truth.

"It is for seventh year potions tomorrow." He lied, he cursed himself for his dishonesty. He tried to tell her, he really did, but instead the lie came out. _Damn it_.

"Interesting." She whispered looking at the potion again. "It stinks!" She said scrunching up her nose, he laughed and sat down on the chair behind his desk, she sat at the one in front.

"I've got the game against Ravenclaw this weekend." She told him and he gave her a sign of acknowledgment.

"The Ravenclaw team is really strong this year." He warned her, she did her best to look offended.

"Oh, so you don't think Gryffindor can beat them, then?" She asked, he smirked.

"You've got no chance" He drawled, she laughed. "As long as Potter keeps his eye on the snitch and not on you he should be fine. But that isn't to say you have any chance in beating Slytherin." He told her pretentiously, she laughed.

"The Slytherin team is a joke, if ever I saw one." She said.

"I don't think you have a chance against them to be honest. Malfoy's got a good team this year." Severus explained, he had supervised them at training on several occasions.

"What, has he finally decided to use Crabbe and Goyle as bludgers?" She asked, and he chuckled. "And plus, doesn't the fact that _I_ am on the Gryffindor team mean anything?" she asked, with an air of snootiness.

"Well, I do hope for your sake that you win, but my loyalties towards the Slytherin team run deep." He explained.

"Your loyalties run deeper than love?" she asked with a cheeky smile.

"As a matter of fact, no. I really don't care too much if Slytherin do loose to you, but how would it look if I suddenly started cheering for you at the match?" He asked, Ginny laughed.

"I think it would be pretty interesting actually." She said, and leant over the desk to peck him on the lips. "So, were you much of a quidditch player in your day?" she asked, he shook his head.

"No, not really. I never tried out for the team, and even if I did I wouldn't have made it in, I was happy just to watch." He said, before looking at his desk and shuffling a pile of parchment, pushing it aside.

"I didn't have much choice when it came to quidditch. According to my brothers I was either a chaser or the quaffle. When I refused to play when I was little Bill and Charlie would pick me up and throw me to each other." She explained with a laugh, he smiled at her.

"Well, it paid off. You didn't turn out too bad."

"I suppose I should take that as a compliment." She sighed "Thanks." There was a knock on the door and Ginny rushed to snatch up a piece of parchment, grab a quill and open up a text book at a random page.

"Enter." Severus called, busying himself with some marking. The door opened and Hagrid walked into the office. "Hello Rubeus." Severus said, ignoring Ginny.

"Snape, Ginny." Hagrid said with a nod of his head. "Here's the stuff yeh asked me ta get." He said, handing Severus a small Hessian bag. "Well. G'night then." Hagrid said before walking out. As soon as he closed the door behind him Ginny stopped writing. Snape put the bag in his draw quickly.

"What's in it?" Ginny asked motioning to his desk.

"Centaur hair, flobberworm gel, things like that." He explained as thought it wasn't important.

"Hm. I didn't know that centaur hair was a potion ingredient. It must be rare." She said.

"Well, there you go. You learn something new every day." He said, Ginny nodded. "So, are you staying here for the Christmas holidays?" He asked Ginny asked.

"I don't know, I think mum and dad want me to go to Grimmauld place." She told him. "That place gives me the creeps." She said.

"I don't particularly like it either." He agreed.

"So, what do teachers do for the Christmas break?" she hadn't really thought about it before.

"We take it in turns to take some time off." He said, "I have boxing day to New Year's day off this year." He said.

"Pity." Ginny tutted "I would like to see you for Christmas." She said.

"You never know, I might stop by Grimmauld place for a few hours." He said, Ginny smiled.

"Where do you live?" She asked "Sometimes I have to remind myself that you teachers don't live at Hogwarts permanently."

"A street called Spinner's End." He told her "It is about three quarters of an hour away from Grimmauld Place. But, yes, I do live somewhere else besides Hogwarts." He looked at the clock on the wall. "You'd better go." He told her, she agreed and stood up, he walked her to the door. When they got there he pulled her into soft kiss, running his hands over her breasts.

"Love you." She said before leaving his office and disappearing into the corridor beyond. Severus walked back to his desk and sat down, pulling out the bag Hagrid had given him. He opened up a book to a page which had the ingredients for a potion called manifestas alterium on it. He sighed and begun grind some centaur hair.

At lunch the next day Ginny overheard Hermione telling Ron some _'interesting'_ information about the potion they had seen in class earlier. She was saying that the bright orange colour was due to the fusion of oak root and flies wings.

"Is that Vervei Lattus?" Ginny interrupted, Hermione raised her eyebrows at her.

"No, Vervei Lattus is a greyish colour, we don't learn about that one." Hermione said confused.

"Okay, cool." Ginny said before turning to talk to Hazel and eating some of her bread roll. She thought over her conversation with Severus the night before and distinctly remembered him telling her that he was showing it to the seventh years. She looked over at him, but he was busy talking to Dumbeldore.

The wind howled unforgivingly as Severus made his way down to the quidditch pitch for the Ravenclaw versus Gryffindor game. He was surrounded by students who were eager to sit in the shelter of the quidditch stadium, away from the wind and snow.

Ginny sat in the Gryffindor change room shivering as Harry addressed the team. He was saying something about the crosswind and the snow. Ginny was to busy shivering to pay attention, and she had a feeling the rest of the team was too.

"Ginny!" Harry snapped, "Are you paying attention?" She nodded vaguely and he continued talking. She pulled her robes around her more tightly and tuned out again.

After another ten minutes of Harry's lecturing the Gryffindor team finally made their way to the pitch and mounted their brooms, Harry flew over to Ginny before the game begun.

"Good luck Gin!" He said.

"You too Harry." She replied. Shortly after the quaffle was released and Ravenclaw was in possession.

Severus watched as the new Ravenclaw chaser, Williams, snatched the quaffle away and threw it to Jenson. He could see Ginny's flaming red hair against the white snow, he watched her carefully as she gracefully swerved between players and away from a hurtling bludger. Jenson was just about to score a goal when Ginny snatched the quaffle out of his hands and zoomed towards her own goal posts.

"Weasley snatches the quaffle," commentated Lovegood, Snape was positively puzzled by that girl, she was a strange one. "Weasley passes to Robins, Robins to Bell, Bell to Weasley- and she scores! Gryffindor one, Ravenclaw nil. That was a lovely goal by Weasley, such a pity Lyons didn't save it. Gryffindor in possession again, Bell this time, heads towards- ooh, that was a nasty whack from the bludger, Jenson catches the falling quaffle, passes to Williams, passes to Jenson, passes to Remmington… ooh, quaffle dropped by Remmington, recovered by Weasley, he throws it to Weasley. Hmm, that sounded weird. Ronald passes to Ginevra… no, that doesn't sound right. Weasley to Ginny, no… they are both Weasleys…"

"Luna!" McGonagall warned, making quiet a few students giggle. In the time it took Luna to decide what to call the Weasley's Katie Bell had scored another goal.

After a long game of three and a half hours Potter finally caught the snitch, the final score was two hundred and thirty to eighty. The teams landed and trudged off to their change rooms, out of energy and breathless.

"You took long enough Harry!" Ginny sighed, throwing down her cleansweep and drinking some water.

"Why don't you try being seeker?" He asked as he plonked down on to the seat.

"Well, why don't I? What about next game?" Ginny said sarcastically, Ron coughed.

"It was a good game. Now get over it. We won in the end anyway." He said, starting to get changed. Ginny got changed slowly, out of energy from the game. She had played hard for three and a half hours and was in a pretty irritable mood, she took her quidditch robe of and unravelled her shirt. She pulled it over her head and left the room.

As she walked out she saw Severus talking to Professor McGonagall just outside.

"Good game Weasley." Professor McGonagall called out to her, she waved her thanks.

"I don't suppose you will be so lucky when you play Slytherin!" Severus drawled, she kept walking. _I guess that means it was a good game_, she thought with a smile.

Two days after the game, Ginny found herself rejoicing in the fact that she was on her way to a remedial potions lesson, she had not really been able to talk to Severus since her last remedial lesson and was definitely missing his company. She walked into the cold dungeon classroom and looked around, making sure Severus was alone, before kissing him passionately.

"I've missed you!" She told him with a smile, he nodded.

"It was a good game against Ravenclaw." He said, Ginny smirked.

"So, do you still think I have no chance against Slytherin?" She asked cheekily, he pecked her one the lips.

"No chance at all." He told her and she laughed. He intended to tell her about his trip this evening, he was ready to do it.

"Severus," She said, he looked at her "you know the Vervei Lattus potion?" She said, he nodded "Well, Hermione said that we don't learn that here."

"That's correct." He drawled, wondering what her point was.

"Well, you told me that it was for your seventh year class. But you obviously didn't show them. What is it for?" She asked. This was the perfect opportunity to tell her the truth,

"Madame Pomfrey likes to keep her potions up to date. Did I say it was for the seventh years? Hmm… no, it was definitely for the infirmary." He said, and silently cursed himself for lying. He was going to tell her the truth, he really way, but he just count say it. _How hard is it to say, Ginny… I am going to go somewhere for Dumbledore._ He tried to say it but he just opened his mouth and coughed instead. "Do you want to get a start on this week's potion?" He asked her, she nodded. He looked in the cupboard in the corner of the room and pulled out some valerian roots, asphodel in an infusion of wormwood, sopophorous beans and some other ingredients and placed them on a desk. This was another potion he had to make for his trip, he may as well give Ginny a head start while he was at it. "Do you have any idea what it is yet?" He asked her, she shook her head and he provided her with his textbook, opening it to the page titled 'Draught of the Living Dead'. "I should have started off with this potion, but I didn't the class was ready for it." He explained.

"It puts someone in a deep sleep?" She asked "No wonder Dumbledore doesn't want us to take any of it out of the room, it could be lethal."

"That's right," Severus begun "Okay, do you want to start preparing the ingredients?" She looked at the book and put the cauldron on the fire, and put in the asphodel. "You know," She said "I never thought I would say this… but potions isn't really that bad." She said.

"Well, that's encouraging to know." He said, and walked behind her. She picked up the knife and began to slice the sopophorous beans, he put his hands over hers and brought his lips down to her ear. "It's better," he whispered, warm breath blowing on her hair "If you crush it like so," he showed her how to crush the beans, "It gets more juice out." He said, she nodded and crushed the beans as he had shown her. As she was working he taught her alternative methods of preparing the ingredients occasionally accompanied with a soft kiss on the neck.

"You know," She said as she put the wormwood into the cauldron, "That is terribly distracting. How do you expect me to learn?" She asked, he sniggered.

"It isn't my fault if you can not concentrate, it just shows you are lacking focus my love." He hissed, she turned around quickly and kissed him passionately, running her hands all over his back, digging her fingers into his back. He moaned softly at her grip and pulled her body roughly against his own. He pulled his lips away from hers.

"You are very easily distracted Miss Weasley, I think that will need to go into your report." She raised her eyebrows and laughed.

"Well, _professor,_ I think that that is more of a reflection on your teaching ability than my ability to focus." She stated matter-of-factly. He responded with another hard kiss.

A/N: Well, that it that chapter dusts hands. Okay, so it took a while, and I deeply apologize, I have had graduation and final assemblies and birthdays and much more to deal with. But, I can (unofficially) tell you that the next chapter will not take so long. So, thanks deeply for all of your reviews. I hope you enjoyed this!


	10. Unearthed

_Warning: _This chapter contains some content not suitable for people under sixteen.

_The Midnight Hour_

**CHAPTER TEN:** Unearthed

As winter settled firmly around Hogwarts, so did an atmosphere of Christmas cheer. It was common knowledge that the Christmas holidays were soon to come and preparations were being made. Ginny was going to Grimmauld place and had it on good authority that Harry, Ron and Hermione were instructed to do the same.

Ginny sat on her bed doing some homework for Professor McGonagall and talking to Hazel.

"You know," Said Hazel "You've been pretty quiet lately!"

"Have I?" Ginny asked passively.

"Yeah." Hazel affirmed thoughtfully. "What's going on? We haven't talked much lately." Ginny put the stopper on her ink bottle and set it down on her bedside table.

"Nothing." She lied trying to fool her friend, unfortunately Hazel could see right through her. She couldn't exactly tell her friend that she was in a relationship with their potions master, and ex death eater in his late thirties.

"Ginny, I am your best friend. We tell each other everything. What ever it is you can tell me, what you say does not leave this room. Promise." Hazel said seriously, Ginny laughed.

"No, really Hazel, everything is fine." Ginny told her with all of the honesty she could muster.

"You have a boyfriend, don't you?" She asked, Ginny rolled her eyes.

"No. I don't." Ginny sighed.

"Yep. Sure. I believe you." Hazel said standing up, she turned to walk away.

"Okay, okay… I'm dating Professor Snape." She stated, Hazel turned to stare at her. After a few moments of tense silence Hazel burst out in laughter.

"No, really Ginny, who is it?"

Severus sat at his desk in the potions classroom supervising the detention of Padma Patil. He was all ready to leave for the trip Dumbledore had planned for him, and he was left with a week before he left to tell Ginny. He was determined to tell her during the remedial lesson she was due to have in ten minutes, but was still trying to find the right words. In the past week their relationship had grown. He found that he was more comfortable with the fiery redheaded Weasley that he was with anyone else he had ever known. He was happy to sit next to her and not talk, or not kiss, or not touch. Just being with her was enough for him. As his relationship with her grew, so did the difficulty of telling her about his mission.

"Professor?" Called Pavarti, he looked up at her.

"Yes Miss Patil?" He drawled.

"Do you know if Flourish and Blotts would have any good study guides for potions?" he sneered at her.

"You need a study guide? If you need a study guide I suggest you rethink your position in my class. And, do I look like Flourish and Blotts to you? Why don't you write them an owl instead of wasting my time?" he hissed, she put her head down and scrubbed at a potion phial. "Your detention is over Patil." He drawled with a dismissive wave of his hand, she ran out of the room and he was left to his thoughts.

Exactly ten minutes later he heard the door open and watched as Ginny Weasley walked through the door. She kissed him on the cheek and leant against his desk.

"So…" she said looking around, he pulled he wand out of his robes and summoned a chair. _Just get it over with_.

"Take a seat my love." He told her, with a trademark sweet smile she sat on the seat.

"What's wrong?" She asked, putting her hand on his knee, it sent shivers through his body.

"Nothing is wrong. I… just want you to look at something for me." He told her, he opened the cupboard beneath his desk and pulled out a bag with twenty-four potion phials in it. "Can you identify some of these for me?" He asked, she took the bag from him and looked at the contents of the phials.

"Well, that one is Vervei Lattus… wow, you can smell it through the glass. Maybe veritaserum… Draught of the living death… Felix Felicis…" She trailed off into silence and he nodded.

"Very well done." He said, touching her hand.

"Why do you keep them here? Anyone can get them!" She said with a questioning look.

"They are not normally kept here, I just wanted to show them to you." He said evenly, Ginny raised her eyebrows.

"Why do you want to show them to me?" She asked, he closed the bag and put it back under the desk.

"I wanted to show you what I am taking with me." He told her. "So that you know I am well equipped."

"I know you are well equipped." She hissed cheekily before a confused expression plagued her face. "Wait a second, where are you taking them?" He held her hands tightly.

"Professor Dumbledore has asked me to go on a mission for the Order." He said, looking around, Ginny's jaw dropped.

"A mission? When? Why? Where? When did he ask you?" the words tumbled out of her mouth uncontrollably.

"Yes, a mission. I leave in five days. I don't know when I am going. Dumbledore asked me two weeks ago." He answered all of her questions, he could see a glimmer in her eyes, he wanted to hold her.

"You've known for two weeks?" She hissed, he nodded. "And you tell me now?" She asked, he nodded again, expressionless. "And it is for the Order as well. You could get hurt, or killed. And you tell me now?" She said standing up.

"It has been hard to tell you, Ginny." He hissed somewhat soothingly.

"This has something to do with Death Eaters hasn't it?" She asked, he looked away from her. "It does. Are you stupid? Are you insane? Those people are evil scum sucking maggots, they would think twice before avada kedavra-ing you. You could get killed." She hissed, aware that she could not raise her voice lest it echo throughout the entire dungeon.

"I am not stupid Ginny, I know they are evil. I have to do it. They think that I am still loyal to them-"

"Are you?" She asked interrupting him.

"No. Now you are being silly. I need to do this, Dumbledore would not have asked me if he knew it wasn't necessary. I don't know where I am going or what I am doing. All I have been told is that I will be back after a week or so." He told her calmly. She looked up at him, tears welling up in her eyes.

"You could get killed." She whispered, before the first tear escaped her eye, quickly followed by a second and third, he pulled her against his chest and kissed her forehead tenderly.

"Everyday people risk being killed, my love. It is a fact of life." He whispered, hot breath caressing her ear.

"I'm talking about you." She whispered and beat her fist against his chest, he lifted her chin up so he was looking her in the eye.

"I will come back safely. I promise." He whispered, looking deep into her eyes. "I have a reason to live." He kissed her deeply as tears flowed freely down her face, he lifted her onto his desk and kissed her more, winding his arms around her waist lovingly. He wished that the moment could last forever, but was drawn back to reality when she pulled away from him.

"Please don't go." She whispered looking away, he shook his head and held her cheek in his hand.

"I don't want to go, but I have no choice. Sacrifices have to be made." He told her, she hugged him tightly and cried into his chest.

The thought of loosing Severus tore Ginny's heart apart and sent pain thundering through her body. She hated him for accepting the mission, risking his life, but, at the same time, she loved him for it. As she cried into his chest she realised how much he meant to her, she held onto him tightly, hoping in vain that it would keep him by her side. She knew she would have to let go, she knew she would have to say goodbye. He stood up and took her by the hand, leading her out of the potions classroom and into his office, near the blazing fire. It's warmth made her feel a little more comfortable. She leant against the edge of his desk and he held her close.

Severus did not know what else to say. Each tear that rolled down her cheek forced a weight upon his heart. He kissed her softly, running his hands through her hair and caressing her lovingly. She responded by kissing him more passionately and pulling him closer. He pressed himself against her body and she moaned softly, holding onto him tightly. Ginny pulled Severus closer, he pulled away from her kisses.

"Ginny." He hissed, caressing her face "I have to, you know."

"I don't want to lose you." She murmured, he kissed her softly.

"You wont lose me. I promise." He told her before pressing his body against her and kissing her. When he pulled his lips off her he stood up straight.

"I love you." She whispered softly.

The next morning Ginny woke up and got dressed quickly, then walked down to breakfast without talking to anyone. She had nothing to say. She was, instead, left to her own thoughts about Severus. She was sure that this was not going to be an easy mission, none of the missions for the order ever were. She knew without asking him that she would not be able to contact him while he was gone, and she would be able to ask Dumbledore if he was okay, because he was not aware of their relationship. She sat down at the Gryffindor table and poured some porridge into her bowl. She looked up at the teachers table and saw Severus eating some toast, he looked up at her and nodded his head in acknowledgement. She looked away from him and prodded her porridge.

After a short while Harry, Ron and Hermione arrived at the breakfast table, Ron and Hermione holding hands somewhat awkwardly. Ginny looked over at her brother with raised eyebrows. He grinned maniacally and let go of Hermione and walked over to Ginny.

"Ginny! Guess what!" He said excitedly.

"You asked Hermione out?" She asked with a clueless expression. He looked crestfallen.

"Yeah. How did you know?" Ginny shrugged and so did Ron. He sat down on the seat next to her. "Ginny, are you okay? Hazel told me that you haven't been yourself lately." Ron asked, Ginny forced a smile. Ron wasn't usually the brother she had deep and meaningful conversations with, when they were at the school, she talked to Fred and George about almost everything. Even is Fred and George were still at the school she wouldn't tell them, she couldn't.

"Yeah, I am fine. Hazel's just a prat. I think it is just PMS." She said, Ron scrunched up his nose and gave her a kiss on the cheek before walking over to sit next to Hermione.

When breakfast was over Ginny hurried to the dungeon for her potions lesson. She walked in to find that she was the only one in the room so she sat in her normal spot. Five or so minutes later Severus walked in the door and straight over to his desk. He opened his book and begun to look in the cupboard under the desk for some potion ingredients. After a few minutes he emerged and saw Ginny sitting in the back row. He stalked over to her and stood in-front of her desk and looked at her.

"Say something." He said softly, she looked away from him, determined not to cry.

"What do you want me to say?" She asked bitterly, he reached out and held her hand.

"Ginevra, don't be angry with me. This is why I didn't tell you earlier. I didn't want you to be angry for two weeks." He explained, she shrugged.

"It would have been the same either way." She told him matter-of-factly. He leant over the desk and kissed her on the cheek.

The door opened and Hazel walked in.

"Ginny! There you a-" she stopped, she saw Severus kissing Ginny on the cheek. Hazel looked around awkwardly and backed out of the room. Severus looked at Ginny.

"Go after her." He hissed, Ginny stood up quickly, knocking over the chair, and ran out of the room in pursuit of Hazel. She called out after her, but Hazel kept running. Fortunately running wasn't Hazel's forte, so Ginny managed to catch up before she reached the great hall. Ginny gripped Hazel's shoulder, panting.

"Y-You were s-serious…" Hazel panted looking at Ginny, Ginny held onto her shoulders tightly.

"Can we go somewhere else?" Ginny asked, panting and fully conscious of the students around her. Hazel nodded and they walked towards the Gryffindor common room. After they stepped through the portrait of the Fat Lady Hazel stopped and looked at Ginny.

"What did I just see?" She asked, trying to be calm. The one or two students left in the common room looked up at them. Ginny grabbed her hand and led her to the dormitory. She sat on her bed and put her head in her hands. "Ginny." Hazel said firmly, "What did I just see?" She asked. Ginny was speechless. She opened her mouth, wishing she could say that it was just a trick of the eye, that Severus was just leaning on the desk. She closed her mouth. Hazel brought her hand to her mouth. "So, he was kissing you?" she asked, Ginny looked away from her and nodded.

"Just on the cheek." She whispered.

"Just on the cheek?" Hazel repeated. "Just on the cheek?" She yelled, Ginny looked up at her friend, who was obviously shocked. "Ginny! He is a teacher. You are a student. You are sixteen. He is… wait, how old is he?" she asked, Ginny wasn't to sure of that herself.

"Late thirties.." She told her, Hazel scrunched her face up.

"Late thirties? Ginny he is probably the same age as my dad. And it is illegal! Did you know that? Did you stop to think about that?" She asked.

"Hazel- I know. But-"

"But?" Hazel interrupted. Ginny felt really unintelligent.

"But… Hazel. I- look, it just happened, okay?" She said.

"OKAY? What, you want me to be fine that my best friend is seeing a teacher? Snape, of all of them, Snape? I cannot believe you want me to just accept it. How long has this been going on?" She asked.

"Almost a month." Ginny said, resigning to tell her nothing but the truth.

"For Merlin's sake…. No wonder you have been acting so strange. Oh, Ginny!" Hazel plonked herself on the bed beside Ginny. "Am I the only one who knows?" she asked, Ginny nodded. "Oh my. That's lucky. Ginny, it has to stop." Hazel said, Ginny shook her head. "Ginny it is silly. How do you know he isn't using you? He is forty. He is old, not to mention a complete and utter prat."

"Hazel, I don't care how old he is, and he isn't really that much of a prat. Just to students."

"Ginny, you are a student."

"Well… he isn't a prat to me. I don't expect you to understand. Don't ask me to end it. I wont. And please, for my sake, don't tell anyone." Ginny pleaded, Hazel sat in silence for a long while and thought, Ginny's heart beat uncontrollably. After ten minutes of silence Hazel spoke.

"Ginny, you are my best friend," She begun, Ginny looked at her "don't think I approve of this. I never will. But, if it makes you happy…" she trailed off and Ginny leapt at her, hugging her tightly. Hazel laughed.

"Hazel, you can't tell anyone." Ginny whispered.

"You have my word on that." Hazel said confidently before she and Ginny stood up, to walk down to the common room. "Is he a good kisser?" Hazel asked, Ginny reddened. "Wait a second. I don't want to know. Don't tell me… I don't want to know a single thing about anything!" Hazel said awkwardly.

"This is panda hair." Severus said to his sixth year class, holding up a small phial with a few wisps of hair in it. "It is incredibly rare and incredibly powerful. Ancient Chinese wizards used to use it in potions, but now that the panda is an endangered species, it is near impossible-" The door swung open and Ginny and Hazel walked in, Hazel avoiding his eyes tactfully. "Where have you two been?" He asked.

"Sorry sir, there was a burning orphanage and I had to use my cloak to douse the fire and save the muggle babies." Ginny said sarcastically.

"Ten points off Gryffindor. And Miss Weasley, please don't think that your good work for the orphanage has gone astray, as a reward I will see you in detention." He drawled, Ginny grinned.

"It's a date professor." She hissed, the room erupting in laughter.

"Silence!" Severus hissed, Ginny looked at him and nodded, letting him know that Hazel wasn't going to tell anyone. There was a slight glimmer of relief in his eye.

When the bell rung at the end of the lesson the class filed out, and Ginny stayed behind, urging Hazel to go ahead. Severus walked over to her.

"I had a talk to her." Ginny told him, he looked at her questioningly.

"What did she say?" He asked, heart beating rapidly.

"She said that she doesn't approve of it." She told him, his shoulders fell and he looked away. "But she said if is makes me happy." She smiled and he looked at her. "Have you got a class in here?" She asked, he shook his head and she leant across the table and kissed him passionately. "Oh." She said standing up. "She also promised that she would tell anyone." She added before skipping out of the room. Severus slumped against the desk, relieved.

Ginny and Hazel sat in the library that evening, doing some research for their history of magic lesson. Ginny was flipping through a book about the history of Goatsmede, a small town that persecuted witches. Hazel was chewing the end of her quill, bored.

"I cant believe it." Hazel said, looking at Ginny.

"I know! Some of those muggles were bloody prats." Ginny agreed, Hazel shook her head.

"No I am talking about you and…" She said, Ginny looked around to make sure there was no one eavesdropping. "Its so weird… Why him? Why not Hagrid- oh- well, that was a bad example… what about Firenze, he is pretty spunky."

"Hazel, he is half horse." Ginny said dismissively.

"Good point. What about Flitwick? Too short. Binns… a ghost. Dumbledore… do you think anyone knows how old he is?" Ginny shook her head. "Well, at least you know that if things don't work out with Snape you always have Filch." Ginny shuddered. "Wow Gin, you didn't have much to choose from." Hazel said, Ginny rolled her eyes.

"I didn't _choose_ him because he was a teacher." Ginny said quietly, Hazel laughed and then stopped abruptly.

"Oh, what about poor Harry?" She asked with a frown. Ginny glared at her.

"He had more than five years. It is his own fault." Ginny said "He has missed his opportunity." Hazel shrugged.

"I guess Snape could scrub up nicely if he tried." Hazel said with a laugh, Ginny got back to her work.

Ginny walked into the dungeon, ready for her detention only to find that Severus wasn't there. She walked out of the classroom and towards his office. She knocked on the door and was relieved to hear his voice from behind the door beckoning her to come in. She walked into his office and straight over to his desk, she kissed him deeply.

"Is everything okay?" he asked when she pulled away, she nodded.

"Yeah. Hazel's all right. I am pretty sure she won't tell anyone." Ginny sat on his desk and he wrapped his arms around her. "Will you be back before Christmas?" She asked, he nodded.

"Before then." He said with a smile. She ran her fingers through his hair and caressed his cheek.

"I… You wont be able to contact me will you?" She asked softly, he held her hand in his own and brought it up to his mouth, he kissed it softly.

"No." He said kissing her hand again. She tried to force a smile, but failed. He reached up to touch her cheek. "Don't worry, I will be back before you notice I am gone." He whispered before pulling her lips onto his own. He kissed her passionately. When they pulled apart she slumped down on a chair and put her head in her hands. Severus stood up wand walked over to her, he put a cold comforting hand on her back. "Ginny, I will be fine. I promise." She looked up at him.

"You can promise these things Severus, you can promise all you like, but it doesn't mean you will be okay, they are just words. How will I know if your okay? You cant contact me. What if you don't come back on time, how am I meant to know if your are still alive? I can't ask Dumbledore can I? I can't ask anyone in the order. They don't know about us. They wouldn't tell me anyway." Ginny growled in exasperation. Severus lifted her face so he could look into her eyes.

"I promise Ginny. That is all I can say. I will be back exactly seven days after I have left, as soon as I have returned I will send you an owl. I'll have to go straight to the headquarters, so I will probably see you anyway." He explained rationally, she nodded half-heartedly, not believing him. He rolled his eyes.

"I'm sorry, but I am sure you'd be the same if you were in my place!" She told him, he shook his head slowly.

"No, I think I would be happy to have you out of my hair." He said sarcastically, she raised her eyebrows.

"Oh… Would you?' She asked with a laugh, he nodded and she stood up to place her own lips against his and kiss him passionately. He wrapped his arms around her and stroked her back, she moaned at his touch. He pulled away from her and his lips curled into a smile.

"I don't think I have ever loved anyone as much as I love you right now." He whispered before kissing her again.

Ginny woke up the next morning to the sound of a sneeze somewhere in the vicinity of her bed. She rubbed her eyes and looked around, sincerely hoping not to see the knobbly knees of Dobby the house elf. She was not in the mood for his antics at that particular moment. She was partially relieved to see Hazel sitting on the end of her bed, but at the same time she was wondering why her friend was sitting there staring at her awkwardly.

"Hazel are you okay?" She asked slowly, Hazel nodded slowly.

"Okay, tell me if I was dreaming or not. I have this weird feeling that I walked in on you and Snape kissing, and you told me you were going out… I was dreaming right?" Hazel asked frantically, Ginny shook her head.

"No. You weren't dreaming. I'd be a bit worried about you if that is what occupied your mind while you were sleeping." Ginny said as she sat up. Hazel sighed and nodded in agreement.

"Ginny…" she begun slowly.

"Yes?"

"You haven't done anything… you know… er- stupid, have you?" She asked.

"Me? Do something stupid. Remember Hazel, I am the one who takes after Fred and George." Ginny laughed.

"Uh, Ginny. Not the best example." She said and pulled her hair off her face, Ginny shrugged.

"Okay, now we have that sorted out, do you mind if I get dressed?" Ginny asked, Hazel nodded and wouldn't budge when Ginny tried to kick her off the bed. "I would like some privacy." Ginny said nodding towards the rest of the dorm.

"Oh. I see, you have a love bite, don't you?" Hazel asked, Ginny rolled her eyes.

"Hazel, you said you didn't want to know anything about my relationship." Ginny reminded her, with a vague nod Hazel stood up and walked away muttering "I don't want to know, I don't want to know." Ginny stood up and got dressed.

In the afternoon Ginny and Hazel trudged down to the dungeon, feeling thoroughly let down by a lecture they received the previous period by Professor McGonagall. They were told by their transfiguration teacher that the entire class was most likely to fail the course, and that if they did they would ruin their education, and their entire life.

Ginny opened the door and let Hazel walk through first before they made their way to their usual desk. They plonked down on their seats simultaneously and put their heads in their hands. The rest of the Gryffindor class entered the room in the same was as Ginny and Hazel had. The Slytherin class and their head of house followed shortly after. Severus went to his desk and sat down, he looked around with twinkling eyes.

"I have never seen such a depressed looking group of Gryffindors." He stated, "It is thrilling. It is almost enough to make me give you house points." The Gryffindors narrowed their eyes angrily. "Well, on a completely different not, I need to tell you that I will not be here next week. I have a funeral to attend overseas." He looked at Ginny "and I will be back after the holidays so there is no excuse for not doing your work." Her housemate's faced brightened significantly at the news, but Hazel looked at Ginny strangely.

"Who's funeral is it?" Asked Kyrrin, a Slytherin girl who Ginny wouldn't trust any further than she could throw her. Severus looked at her through narrowed eyes.

"I don't believe that concerns you." He hissed before beginning the lesson.

After their potions lesson Ginny and Hazel were on their way back to the Gryffindor common room, when Hazel grabbed Ginny's arm and pulled her into an empty classroom.

"So, Snape's going away, right?" She whispered, Ginny nodded and took her arm away from her friend.

"Yeah" Ginny replied looking at Hazel questioningly.

"Aren't you a little shocked… sad even?" Ginny put on a brave face.

"Don't be silly Hazel!" Ginny said flamboyantly "It's only a week." She said before walking out of the room.

Two days passed uneventfully, Ginny and Severus only saw each other during class time and Ginny missed his company dreadfully. She was painfully aware that he was due to depart in two days and the event loomed over her like a dark cloud. She woke up on Saturday morning and looked outside her window, the snow was coming down hard creating a bleak white blanket across the grounds. She forced a smile as she got out of bed, hoping that it would help her outlook on the day, it didn't. She pulled on her clothes. She walked down to breakfast and sat down with Harry, Ron and Hermione.

"Because if you feel left out Harry, you can just tell us!" Hermione was saying, Harry just shrugged and kept eating.

"What's going on?" Ginny asked as she stuffed some toast into her mouth.

"Oh, nothing." Ron said reddening, Harry rolled his eyes.

"They are worried that while they are sucking face I'll feel left out." Harry explained to Ginny matter-of-factly, Ginny laughed.

"I know an easy solution for that." Ginny said waving her hand in the air dismissively, the three other students looked interested. "Just have a threesome!" Ron choked on his toast.

"Ginny!" He cried, banging his fist against his chest, Harry laughed and Hermione went a deep shade of scarlet.

"Well, other than that I don't know what you can do." She said contentedly, taking a bite out of her toast.

"Well, I agree with Ginny. You know Ron, I have always found you rather attractive." Harry joked.

"I didn't know I looked like Ginny!" Ron retorted, Harry stopped laughing immediately and looked at him scathingly.

"Hey. Are you Ginny?" Asked a second year Slytherin boy with the upmost disgust. Ginny looked over at him and nodded. "I could tell you're a Weasley, but then again, who couldn't?" Harry stood up menacingly.

"Get to the point kid." He said angrily, the Slytherin boy saw the scar on his head and looked away.

"Snape says to give you this." He threw a piece of parchment at her face and stalked off. Ginny opened it and read Severus' writing;

_Remedial Potions Lesson: 6:30_

_ Ginny Weasley, Gryffindor_

Hermione read the letter over Ginny's shoulder and raised her eyebrows questioningly.

"I thought you were doing okay in potions." She stated, Ginny shrugged.

"Guess not." She replied before taking a large bite of toast.

That evening Ginny made her way down to her remedial potions lesson with mixed emotions, she was happy that Severus had created a lesson for her, but wasn't able to draw her attention away from his departure. Her footsteps echoed down the long, cold corridor. She reached the door and opened it, she looked inside to see Severus and Professor Dumbledore sitting talking. Dumbledore looked at Severus, and then at Ginny and then back at Severus, he frowned and wiggled his mouth before speaking.

A/N: There you go, the long awaited for chapter. He tells her, happy? Okay, this chapter has taken a lot out of me but I am glad to get it out. The new chapter will be fun to write, because there are some things that I have been planning for ages that are going into it. Well, I'd like to thank you for your review very much, I treasure each and every one.

Until Next Time,

Sinister Spiders

(P.S Wendelin the Weird wanted me to tell you that I Atalanta Zora have been writing this story on my own recently. I will not change the account it is in, because it is a dual account, but she just wanted me to tell you.)


	11. Heart and Soul

_Warning: _This chapter contains some content not suitable for people under sixteen.

_The Midnight Hour_

**CHAPTER ELEVEN:** Heart and Soul

_Dumbledore looked at Severus, and then at Ginny and then back at Severus, he frowned and wiggled his mouth before speaking._

"Well Severus." Dumbledore said in a low voice. "I will be off. I will leave it to you to sort out your own affairs." Dumbledore walked towards the door and looked at Ginny rather soberly. "Enjoy your lesson Miss Weasley." And with that he walked out of the room. Ginny walked over to Severus slowly, catching his eye.

"Affair?" Ginny asked, panic flooding her.

"Yes." Severus replied taking her hand. _Please don't tell me he knows,_ Ginny thought taking a deep breath.

"He doesn't…?" Ginny asked softly, Severus shook his head.

"No… well, at least I don't think so. We were discussing my mission; he was just trying to be secretive. Ginny let her shoulders collapse and let out the breath she was holding, relief replacing panic.

"So… A last minute remedial lesson?" She asked with a grin, he nodded and pulled her close.

"And you can expect a detention tomorrow evening." He whispered before kissing her passionately, she relaxed in his arms and allowed him to take control. After a few minutes she pulled away.

"Are you sure you don't need tomorrow night to pack?" She asked. Severus shook his head.

"I have finished packing," he told her.

"Have you double-checked everything, because if you forge-" She was cut off by his mouth being pressed against his own.

"Yes, I have triple checked." He hissed, before nuzzling his head into her neck and leading a trail of kissed up to her ear.

"You have forgotten something." She said softly.

"And what would that me my love?" He hissed, warm breath caressing her ear.

"Me." She whispered before kissing him again, he snaked his arms around her waist and slowly working them down her lower back to her backside. She pulled away from him and smile. "Are you going for a feel?" she asked, He looked down into her eyes and nodded. "I think I'll have a go at that too." She said before letting her hands wander to his backside. She kissed him again and held him tightly. Severus' hands travelled back up to her head and he entwined his fingers in her soft red hair. He pulled his lips away from hers and pulled her head towards his chest, hugging her gently.

"I love you." He told her, she closed her eyes and enjoyed the moment. His arms wrapped around her, and hers around him. He pulled away from her and Ginny felt some of her happiness go with him, draining out of her. He sat down on his seat and pulled her onto his lap. "You do know that I don't want to go?" He asked, she nodded.

"I know." She replied.

"But I have to. It is important." He explained, she put her ear against his chest and listened to his heart beating steadily. "But I will be back, I won't be gone for long. A week isn't a long time." He told himself more than her.

"A week together isn't very long," she whispered "but a week apart will be like an eternity." His wrapped his arms around her tighter and kissed the crown of her head lovingly.

Ginny say on his lap for the remainder of the detention in silence, she couldn't think of anything to say. Severus, too, was at a complete lost for words. He was now regretting giving Dumbledore his word that he would go, circumstances change. But he had no choice. He wished he knew where he was going, so that he could tell her and relieve some of her anguish. He said goodbye to her with and went to his room and straight to bed. He closed his eyes in hope to wake up and find a better day ahead of him.

* * *

Ginny woke up the next morning with a heavy heart, she did not want to say goodbye to Severus. She had no idea whether he would return, but tried with all of her heart to believe the promise that he made to her. It was hard for her to think that the trip was a harmless as he treated it. Death Eaters were ruthless, cunning and incredibly deceitful, she would not trust them to tie their own shoelaces let alone have faith in Severus. She sat at the end of the bed with her head in her hands for a long while. 

"Gin?" Hazel asked crouching in front of her, "You okay?" Ginny nodded and looked up with a fake smile plastered on her face. "Are you worried about…" she trailed off, looking around the room suspiciously.

"No!" Ginny said waving her hand in the air "It's only a funeral Hazel, what is there to be worried about?" She said boisterously, _I hope it isn't his_.

**

* * *

**"MISS WEASLEY." Severus boomed across the dungeon, Ginny resisted the urge to smile, the potion she deliberately sabotaged covered three quarters of the dungeon with a glistening hot pink slime. He walked over to her rigidly and looked around. "WHAT IN THE NAME OF MERLIN DID YOU THINK YOU WERE DOING?" He boomed, she gave him an awkward smile. 

"Redecorating?" She said unsurely shrugging and motioning to the stone walls covered in pink goop.

"CLASS DISMISSED!" He yelled "See you in detention!" He snapped at her before heading to the front of the room. She took her time to pack up and was the last one to leave the room.

"Have fun cleaning up!" She chirped before skipping out of the room.

* * *

Ginny sat in the Great Hall eating her dinner, she ventured down late, hoping to avoid her friends. Instead she found herself sitting with Harry, who had come down late for the exact same reason. He looked irritated and poked at his food in a bored way. She knew exactly how he was feeling, she barely managed to keep her drink of water down, and didn't dare try to make the same effort for solid food. 

"How are Ron and Hermione?" She asked, he shrugged. "What's wrong?" She said.

"Nothing really." He shrugged.

"Harry, you are a bad liar." She said with a smile.

"It's just that every night before bed I talk to Ron and all I hear about is Hermione, I mean, nothing has changed, but… It is just different now, it is hard to sit there and listen to him talk about all of the fun he is having with his girlfriend when I don't have one-" He stopped and looked away from her, reddening significantly. She smiled.

"Harry, I am sure that there are hundreds of girls in this school alone that would be willing to get their greasy hands on you." She laughed, he looked at her coldness in his eyes.

"I don't want those girls. The only one I do want doesn't want me." He told her, it was her turn to look away. He shovelled the last few spoonfuls of mashed potato into his mouth before walking out of the Great Hall. Ginny tried to swallow, but her mouth was far too dry, she looked at her watch and stood up slowly.

* * *

Severus sat in his office nervously, Ginny would be there any moment. He had everything ready for his departure. He didn't want to say goodbye to Ginny, for fear that it would be his last. _Remain positive_, he told himself, it was hard. Ten minutes went by, Ginny now five minutes late. His heart began to beat at a quicker pace. Another ten minutes passed and his heart was searing with anticipation. He hoped desperately that she didn't decide not to come. He had to see her one last time. As he reached breaking point the door to his office opened to reveal Ginny standing there, red hair flowing down past her shoulders gracefully. She looked at him and gave him a weak smile. Severus glided across the room in two swift steps and swept her into his arms. He kissed her briefly before shutting his office door. He looked down into her eyes. 

"I had begun to think that you wouldn't come." He whispered, holding her desperately. She smiled at him.

"It took me a while to get here. I thought that if I didn't say goodbye, you couldn't possibly go." She whispered, and kissed him softly, a tear rolling down her cheek. He held her. "What time do you leave?" She asked.

"I don't want you to be there." He told her, voice faltering.

"What time to you leave?" She persisted, he kissed her on the forehead.

"At two thirty in the morning." He told her, her body shook as she began to cry.

"Where from?" She asked. He hesitated for a moment.  
"The forbidden forest, but-" she interrupted him.

"Near the Quidditch pitch?" she asked, he nodded. She knew of a spot not too far into the forest from that point that was home to a small clearing.

"You apparating?" She asked, he shook his head.

"Portkey." He replied.

"I will see you off." She whispered.

"Ginny, you cant." He told her, she looked up at him. "Professor Dumbledore will be there." She smiled.

"I will have Harry's invisibility cloak. I will be by the oak tree." She whispered, he smiled back at her and kissed her softly.

"I can't stay with you for too long, I have to see Professor Dumbledore soon." He told her, she nodded and kissed him passionately. He held her as close to himself as was possible, she ran her hands over his body, as if trying to get one last memory of how it felt for him to be in her arms. He ran her right hand over his chest, stomach, abdomen. "Ginny…" he breathed as her hands ventured lower. Her hands continued on their path. "You shouldn't…" He told her, he breathed in sharply, her hand caressing him.

"Shhh." She hissed, bringing a finger to his lip before kissing him further. After a while he pulled away from her and she looked at him forlornly.

"When I come back…" he begun, she nodded, knowing full well what he meant. He swept her into his arms one last time and kissed her passionately, desperately. He lowered her onto the ground and slipped a deep red rose into her hand with a note attached to it, before he swept out of the room quickly, not looking back. She lowered herself onto the floor slowly and unravelled the note, she began to cry as she read his writing.

_Ginevra,_

_I am not good at this type of thing. It is hard for me to say goodbye to you. So I wont. I will be back, I promise. But just in case something happens I wanted to tell you how much I love you. I want you to know that since we have been together every breath I have taken has been for you. I have never known a love as pure as the love I have for you. When close my eyes all I see is you, beautiful, angelic. And though we may be apart, my heart will be with you. Take care my love._

_Heart and Soul,_

_Severus._

* * *

A cold wind blasted Severus' face as he walked across the snow-covered fields towards the Forbidden Forest in the black of the night. He pulled his cloak tighter around him and looked over at Dumbledore who seemed undeterred by the icy cold weather, his face hard and pallid. Dumbledore stopped at the line of trees that symbolised the edge of the forest and Severus clutched his bag close to his body. Dumbledore looked at him and nodded solemnly.

"Goodbye Severus." He said soberly, Severus nodded.

"Goodbye Albus." He replied and walked towards a gap in the trees, he stopped and looked back one more time. Eyes focussing on the oak tree by the quidditch pitch. Through the darkness he saw a lone red rose petal float down onto the snow. Blood red on white. He took a deep breath before turning to the forest once more, he stepped into the trees and was gone.

* * *

A/N: This chapter is different to how I originally planned it. It was meant to continue, but I felt it would be better to leave it like this. I promise that I will update soon. I don't have much to say really, but I would like to dedicate this chapter to my Love.

Hugs and Kisses,

Sinister Spiders

(Atalanta Zora)


	12. In A Mood

Warning: This chapter contains some content not suitable for people under sixteen.

The Midnight Hour

**CHAPTER TWELVE:** In A Mood

Ginny did not wake until late the next afternoon. She had stayed outside in the snow by the forest until the sun peered over the lawns of Hogwarts. When Severus stepped into the trees tears begun to escape her eyes, she crouched in the snow, shivering and crying. The invisibility cloak that was wrapped around her provided little warmth, but she didn't care. Nothing mattered at that time. As Severus turned to look for her she dropped a rose petal, so he knew she was there. After he disappeared Dumbledore turned to face where she was standing and gave a small, sad, smile before walking back to the castle. Ginny was sure he could see her, but dismissed the thought. She was, after all, invisible.

She stirred in her bed, willing her eyes to open. Her throat felt dry and rough, her nose was blocked and her eyes were still inflamed. As she sat up she felt dizzy, she closed her eyes again. Willing her sickness away. She knew that she shouldn't have stayed in the cold for too long, but at the time it was the last thing on her mind. She opened her hand, Severus note still in it. She wrapped her fingers around it again, not wanting to read it. She peered out of her bed curtains to find an empty dormitory. She got out of bed and gathered some fresh clothes then headed towards the bathroom for a shower.

The shower did not improve her mood, not even slightly. Her eyes were still rather red and somewhat swollen, her lips were dry and she was worried that she might begin to cry again. She picked up Harry's invisibility cloak and shivered at the feel of it, wet and ice cold. She pulled out her wand and muttered a quick drying spell before folding it up and tucking it into her jacket pocket.

When Ginny reached the common room she saw Ron and Hermione in the corner, talking happily. When she approached them Hermione looked up and Ron glared at her.

"Have you seen Harry?" she asked, Ron shook his head.

"He's probably at the Quidditch pitch preparing for practice." He told her, Ginny nodded and headed for the portrait hole.

…………………………………………………………………………………………..

The weather over the quidditch pitch was the same as it had been last night, cold and windy. Ginny made her way through the snow unfeelingly towards the change room. She was slightly relieved when she saw Harry in there, sitting on a bench with his head in his hands.

"Harry," Ginny called out as she took the invisibility cloak out of her pocket, he turned and she held it towards him. "Thankyou." He stood up and strode over to her. He took the cloak gently and brought his hand up to her face, caressing her cheek gently, she looked away from him.

"Gin, are you okay?" He asked, she nodded and turned to walk away, he grabbed her wrist and turned her around to face him, placing his lips upon hers in a hard kiss. Ginny pulled away from him and ran out of the change room. He called out after her, but she kept running.

She entered the common room and headed straight for the stairs, when she approached the first step Ron jumped in front of her.

"Where are you going Missy?" He asked happily, she tried to walk around him but he blocked her way again.

"To my dormitory." She hissed, trying yet again to get past him and failing.

"Training is in ten minutes. You get ready, I'll wait for you here." He said and stepped out of her. Ginny stormed up the staircase and into her dorm room. She opened the door and slammed it shut, and looked over to find Hazel sitting on her bed reading a letter. Ginny walked over to her trunk and pulled out her Quidditch robes grumpily.

"Ginny, you missed breakfast. And lunch." Hazel said softly, Ginny nodded and pulled off her jacket. "Are you okay?"

"Yes Hazel," Ginny replied sarcastically, "I am fan-fucking-tastic." She closed the lid on her trunk and walked over to the bathroom and slammed the door behind her, it locked with a click. She continued to get changed and could hear Hazel walk over to the door and settle herself outside of it.

"Ginny. This is tearing you apart." Hazel begun, Ginny ignored her. "You can't keep doing this, it isn't healthy. You are obviously not meant to be together." The heat rose in Ginny's face and she opened the door, Hazel, who had been leaning against it, fell backwards onto the tiled bathroom floor. Ginny pulled Severus letter out of her pocket and threw it at her before slamming the door on her head. There was silence for a few minutes before Ginny emerged from the bathroom, ready for quidditch practise. Hazel walked over to her and hugged her. "I'm sorry." She whispered, Ginny nodded "It doesn't sound like he is going to a funeral." She said softly, Ginny shook her head and tears escaped her eyes. "I'm so sorry." She repeated, stroking her friend's head. Ginny pulled away from her.

"Harry kissed me." She hissed, Hazel pulled a face.

"You should tell Harry to piss off." Hazel said with a comic smile, Ginny shook her head.

"Say what? Hey Harry I cant go out with you because I am dating your fathers second worst enemy and your potions master?" She spat, Hazel looked away.

"Are you still going?" Hazel motioned to Ginny's robes, Ginny nodded.

"Ron's waiting for me." Ginny told her, Hazel gave her the letter back and she walked out of the room.

…………………………………………………………………………………………..

"WEASLEY!" Harry roared "WATCH WHERE YOU ARE THROWING!" the quaffle flew straight past the goal posts and out of the stadium. Ginny turned her broom around and headed back to the centre of the pitch with the other chasers. "Pay attention!" He yelled. "Go Bell!" Ginny looked over at Madden, the third Gryffindor chaser, he raised his eyebrows and smile.

"Lover's tiff?" He asked, Ginny rolled her eyes and looked away. There were probably plenty of people who thought she and Harry should be together. She didn't feel anything for him at the moment, that is, except anger. Harry kept flashing her looks, she wished desperately that he would stop. After Katie threw and missed Harry called the rest of the team back to the centre.

"This is terrible!" he cried as Ron flew in beside Ginny. "Just because we won against Ravenclaw doesn't mean that we will win against Slytherin, they have a strong team, but I will be damned if those bastards beat us. Bell, you need to anticipate what the keeper is going to do, and NOT play into his hands. Ron, what your doing is okay, but you can do much better. Madden, your throws are hardly reaching the scoring zone, Timera and Wolf you don't tap the quaffle you HIT it. And Weasley," He turned to Ginny and she glared at him. "I don't think you have ever played worse in your life. No only did you miss the goal posts, but you managed to throw the quaffle outside of the stadium. I don't think I have ever seen anyone do that before. That was just pathetic. You better shape up or you're off the team." Harry said, anger surging through him, Ginny smiled at him sardonically.

"I'm sorry I cannot shape up to you Potter." She hissed before turning her broom around and flying out of the pitch. The rest of the team stared after her, open mouthed, including Harry.

Ginny dismounted by the front doors of the castle, and dragged her broom behind her all the way up to the common room. She walked straight past Hermione who asked her what happened and up to her dorm. Hazel was in there looking through her trunk frantically. Ginny plonked down on her bed. Hazel walked over to her, something clutched in her hand.

"What happened?" Hazel asked, Ginny growled.

"Harry threatened to kick me off the team, so I left practise." Ginny explained, trying to keep her anger at bay.

"Stupid git." Hazel hissed, Ginny nodded. "Hey, Gin… I thought you might like this." She said handing Ginny a long gold chain with a minute glass tube attached to it. Ginny, raised her eyebrows. "My mum gave it to me." She explained "that tube there can hold items, I used to keep a letter from my mum in it. I think you will have more use for it than I do." Ginny smiled.

"Thankyou." She said accepting the necklace, Hazel grinned. "How do you use it?" She asked, Hazel motioned for Ginny's letter, she gave it to her. "You tap the object and then the tube." She said as she did it. The letter shrunk and zoomed into the glass tubed. Ginny reached over to her bedside table for her rose, Hazel took it from her and smelt it. Within moments the glass canister held the rose and letter from Severus. Ginny smile and hugged Hazel. "I'm sorry about the way I treated you before." Hazel shrugged.

"Hey, I'm used to it." She laughed. Ginny fastened the chain around her neck. Her mood was slightly improved, but she still felt empty.

…………………………………………………………………………………………..

Ginny sat at dinner eating her beans. She was with Hazel and Colin talking about the essay they had to do for McGonagall. Every so often she would sneak a look over to the teachers table, hoping in vain to catch a glimpse of Severus.

"Ginny, can you help me with it, I don't know anything about internal organism transfiguration." Colin asked, Ginny laughed.

"Well Colin, you should have been paying attention instead of playing footsies." Ginny said, Hazel smiled and Colin laughed. "I guess I can help you." She said evenly and was tapped on the shoulder. She turned around to see Harry. "Harry I don't want to ta-" she begun before he interrupted her.

"Ginny. I will only take up a couple of minutes of your time." Harry said, Ginny stood up and walked over to the corner of the room with him, receiving a howling from the Slytherin table, she made a rude gesture at them.

"What do you want?" She asked.

"I wanted to apologise for the way I acted towards you at practise… and before. I shouldn't have taken you by surprise like that." He said as his face went a light shade of red.

"You think so?" she asked sarcastically.

"Ginny, I just- it's just… I really like you. And it took me a long time to realise it. But please, don't dismiss the prospect of a relationship with me now, not now that I know I like you." He begged, she looked away from him.

"Harry, I can't go out with you. I don't have feelings for you any more. I am sorry." She said stiffly, Harry begun to walk away. He turned back towards her.

"And Ginny, you will always have a place on the team, and in my heart." He told her before he walked back to the table and settled into his seat.

…………………………………………………………………………………………..

The next six days passed uneventfully. Ginny's nights seemed long and boring without any detentions or remedial lessons. She spent most of her time in the common room, nose buried in her homework. With each day that passed her heart ached more, and was only relieved with the thought that Severus would soon. She sat on the end of her bed, packing her trunk with the hopes that when she arrived at Grimmauld place Severus would be there. Throughout the week she would feel an occasional wave of heat through her body, and was sure that it was some sort of sign that Severus was okay, but for the past two days she felt nothing. She threw her textbooks on top of her clothes and jumped onto her trunk, hoping to use her weight to secure the latch. Hazel walked over and helped her. Ginny always packed too much. Hazel had finished packing earlier that day and spent most of her time with Colin. She now sat beside Ginny on her trunk, both in their pyjamas.

"He'll be back tomorrow." Hazel said happily, Ginny nodded hopefully. "Don't worry, he will be okay." _If only she knew_, Ginny thought.

"As for you." Ginny said reaching into her top pocket. "This is your Christmas present." She said handing her a small orange box. "But you can't open it until Christmas morning!" Ginny said, Hazel rolled her eyes.

"Why give it to me now? You know how much suspense kills me!" Ginny nodded.

"That's why I gave it to you today." She looked over at her friend, and then around the room, to make sure the other girls were not in the dorm. "And Hazel, I just want to say thankyou for putting up with me. I know I haven't been in the best mood during the past week or two, but thanks for being so patient with me. It means a lot. And," she looked around again "thankyou for keeping my secret, you have no idea how much I appreciate it." Ginny said, Hazel smiled.

"That's okay, you can pay me back later!" Hazel said, Ginny punched her in the arm and said goodnight.

Ginny had trouble sleeping. She didn't know whether it was nerves or adrenalin. She was excited that she would see Severus the next day, but she knew deep down that there was a chance that she would not return. Her heart ached whenever she thought of loosing him. And she had no idea how he was going, if he was still alive. She felt empty, incomplete. Willing herself to sleep she buried her face into her pillow and closed her eyes, as she attempted to clear her mind. All she could think about was loosing Severus. Tears escaped her eyes even thought they were clenched together.

…………………………………………………………………………………………..

The Hogwarts Express whistled one more time before it's engines were set into motion, propelling it along the track to platform nine and three quarters. Ginny sat in a compartment with Hazel and her other friends from Gryffindor, hardly able to keep a smile off her face and butterflies from her stomach. Hazel threw her some chocolate and she munched away contentedly.

"I think my parents want to go on holiday to Australia this Christmas." Felicity groaned.

"What's wrong with that?" Colin asked, Felicity rolled her eyes.

"What's wrong with that? Colin! They don't have snow there! What is a Christmas without snow! Really? Not only that but it is on the other side of the world, not to mention the equator. The fact that it is on the other side of the equator means that it will be summer there! Do you know how an Australian summer gets? Do you?" She barked, Ginny held back laughter as Colin looked to her and Hazel for support.

"Thirty degrees?" Colin asked unsurely.

"THIRTY? Try forty-five! Forty bloody five. How is anyone meant to live in that?" she growled and threw herself against her seat.

"Well, I'll make a snow man for you." Ginny said, Felicity rolled her eyes.

"Thanks a lot Weasley!" Felicity said sarcastically. There was a tapping at the train window and Ginny saw a barn owl struggling to keep up with the train. She rushed over to the window and opened it, the owl flew in and settled itself on her lap, holding it's leg out for her. She untied the piece of parchment and it flew out of the carriage immediately. Her fingers trembled as she unrolled the letter, hoping desperately to see Severus tidy handwriting. Her heart dropped as she saw the familiar writing of her mother.

_Ginevra,_

Your father and I will pick you up at Berner St. just outside of Kings Cross Station. Hermione will know the way. By the way Ginny, love, can you please show this letter to Ron, Hermione and Harry and then burn it?

_Love,_

_Mum (and Dad)_

Hazel looked at her hopefully, she shook her head and stood up.

"I have to find Ron." She announced and walked out of her compartment. She walked down the corridor, peering into other compartment along the way. She saw Malfoy and walked past him, he turned around and call her.

"Hey, Weasley!" he yelled, she kept walking "Looking for lover boy? Third compartment from the back. I should know." He laughed cruelly before joining his friends in their compartment. Ginny waited until she heard the door behind him and ran to the back of the train. She opened the door to find Ron sitting on the ground, eye a brilliant shade of purple, and Harry standing up, blood streaming out of a gash on his arm. Ginny walked over to Hermione.

"What happened?" She asked, Hermione shook her head.

"Malfoy. Stupid git. He came in here, threw around some insults, curses and punches and then walked out as though he was a hero." Hermione walked over to Harry and took out her wand. He pulled away from her and looked away. Ginny walked over to him and grabbed his face.

"Harry, don't be stupid. It could get infected." She hissed, he held out his arm and Hermione healed it. She walked over to Ron and squatted beside him. She did some sort of spell and the purple swelling reduced to a red mark. Ron stood up angrily.

"I'm going to kill him!" He growled.

"Oh Ron, don't be stupid." Hermione sighed "It wont be long before someone kills him. Don't bother getting your own hands dirty." Harry walked over to Ginny.

"What's up?" he asked, she handed him the letter and he read it, and passed it to Ron who showed Hermione, she nodded and incinerated it with a spell then cleaned up the ashes.

"I know the way." She said with a small smile. They stood in silence for a few moments.

…………………………………………………………………………………………..

Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny stepped into the car that the ministry had provided for them. Ginny's parents were already in the car, which was magically enhanced to the size of a stretch limousine, even though it was a mini. Ginny sat in-between her mother and father contentedly. She knew that the car was headed straight for the headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix. She turned around to the back seat and saw a strange box shaped object.

"Hey what's that?" She asked her father, he grinned from ear to ear.

"That is a televonion!" He announced happily, "It's like a photo, but it talks, and the people can't see you." He turned to look at it then turned back to the front window. Ginny looked at Harry.

"TeleVISION" he whispered, Ginny laughed and turned back to face the windscreen.

It was easily a half hour drive with all of the traffic. When they pulled up outside of number twelve and fourteen. The car pulled up and the Weasleys, Harry and Hermione filed out of the vehicle and retrieved their bags, Mr. Weasley looked around and whipped out his wand, with a flick and an incantation the car disappeared. They filed towards the house that squeezed itself between the other twelve and fourteen and walked into the corridor. Ginny noticed that someone had managed to put up a roughly constructed box around the portrait of Mrs. Black, she was extremely thankful for that.

"So, who's here mum?" she asked, Mrs Weasley dropped her trunks and sighed.

"Well, Tonks, Lupin, Moody, Fred, Bill and Charlie. George will be home soon." She said rubbing her hands together. "I better get a start on dinner" she said before walking off. _No Severus_, Ginny thought. She pushed all of the negative ideas pelting through her brain aside, it was still early.

…………………………………………………………………………………………..

That night Ginny went to her bedroom, her good mood gone and completely replaced by a feeling of dread. Severus had not returned yet, and from what she could gather no one had heard from him. She had felt a cold, draining wave wash over her after dinner, but pushed it aside. She couldn't help feeling that there was something wrong. She sat in her bed and stared out of the window, hoping desperately that her lover was still alive to see it.

…………………………………………………………………………………………..

Another two days had passed and Ginny's mood worsened significantly. She sat down for most of her time looking out the window longingly, whenever someone asked her if she was okay she forced a smile and told them she was just bored.

All measurement of time slipped by her as she sat staring. She willed time to go by as it did. She had no wish to know how long she had been sitting there, hoping to see Severus. From the conversations she managed to hear no one had heard anything about Severus' welfare. On two occasions Dumbledore had entered the room, given her a sad smile and left again without a word. She was drawn out of her musings by footsteps approaching her. Harry sat down beside her.

"Ginny, are you okay?" he asked, she practiced her rehearsed routine. Smile, nod, say; _I'm just bored_. Harry didn't fall for it.

"Do you want to watch some television or something?" He asked, she shook her head.

"No thanks. I like being bored." She forced another smile and Harry sighed. He stood up and walked out of the room and she was left to her thoughts. She knew that with each minute that flew by there was less of a chance that Severus would come back, and with each minute her heart was torn further and further apart.

The sun set and darkness overwhelmed the sky. Dinner came and went, but Ginny didn't make the effort to go to the dining room. Mrs. Weasley brought a plate of food in for her, but it sat by the windowsill untouched and now stone cold. When the sky was at its darkest Ginny mustered up enough energy to make her way to bed so she could have a restless sleep and hope to wake up in the morning to find out Severus had returned.

…………………………………………………………………………………………..

Three more days passed and there was still no news. Ginny had not eaten since the day she returned to Grimmauld place and felt an emptiness in her stomach and heart, neither to be filled. People had begun to avoid her, they had obviously realises that she just wanted to be alone. For the past two nights she had cried herself to sleep, with the knowledge that she was not likely to see Severus again. She loved him deeply, and did not want to move on. Still, she sat by the window faithfully on the off chance that she would see his pallid face as he walked to the door. Dumbledore had come by the room three times during the three days, his actions the same as always. A sad knowing smile. Ginny wished he would tell her something, anything, she wanted to beat it out of him. She knew that he had some idea of what was going on and had to restrain herself from using her energy cursing it out of him. Rain began to pour down, the sound threatening to drain out her thoughts, and for that she was glad. She wished to be in his arms again, to feel his lips against her own, to share his warmth.

…………………………………………………………………………………………..

It was two days before Christmas and most of the house was in an exceptionally good mood. The decorations and constant cheer did very little to improve Ginny's outlook as she slowly began to come to terms with the fact that Severus might not come back. She had made an effort to wrap all of the presents she had bought before leaving Hogwarts, including the one she purchased for Severus. It sat in her bedside table draw on its own. She couldn't bear to look at it for longer than a few seconds.

He had broken his promise. He had promised her that he would return. He lied. It was more than a week later, approaching two weeks and no one had seen nor heard from him. She sat at her window and tugged at the gold chain around her neck. She pulled out her wand and tapped the canister. The letter and the rose fell into her lap. She unrolled the letter and looked at it, tears caught in her eyes, stinging her unforgivingly.

_It is hard for me to say goodbye to you. So I wont. I will be back, I promise._

"Ginny!" She hid the letter in her hand and put the rose beside her. She turned to see Hermione. "Your mother wants you to help us put the decorations up." Ginny nodded and Hermione left the room. Ginny clutched the letter tightly before tapping it with her wand, doing the same thing to the rose moments later. She didn't want to say goodbye either.

…………………………………………………………………………………………..

A/N: There you have it. What will happen next? Well, only I know that. The next chapter will be up soon. Thanks ever so much for your reviews, they are deeply appreciated.

Peace out!

Sinister Spiders


	13. The Lady and The Unicorn

_Warning: _This chapter contains some content not suitable for people under sixteen.

_The Midnight Hour_

**CHAPTER THIRTEEN:** The Lady and The Unicorn

On the day of Christmas eve Ginny sat in the lounge room with Harry, Ron and Hermione watching a programme on the television. It was what Harry called a soapy and was too slow moving and cliché for her liking. For the most part she stared through the television and drifted off into her own little world.

"Ron," Hermione began "what would you do if I told you I was a man?" She asked inspired by the soapy. He laughed.

"I already know your not." Ron said with a wink, Harry and Ginny groaned.

"Ron, too much information… she is like my sister!" Harry commented disgusted.

"Well, Hermione, what would you say if I told you that I was a woman." Ron asked.

"I wouldn't be surprised!" Hermione said, Harry laughed and Ron when bright red.

Footsteps thundered through the hall outside and Harry sprung out if his seat. Hermione and Ron did the same, but Ginny stayed in her place. If it was something important she wouldn't be allowed to see it anyway. Harry yanked the door open and peered out, Hermione did as well.

"Oh." He said shutting the door again and he walked back to his seat. "That was an awfully long funeral. What was it? Two weeks?" he asked, Ginny sat up in her seat.

"Don't be stupid Harry. It wasn't a funeral." She said exasperatedly. Ginny ran over to the door and threw it open, she stepped into the corridor.

Severus stood at the front door looking worn out. He was clutching his wand in his right hand and a travelling cloak in the other. Ginny's heart skipped a beat. He looked at her and gave her a faint smile. She looked him over, there was a deep gash across his neck that looked at though it was patched up very roughly and his left hand was covered in hundreds of tiny scratches. She begun to walk towards him but Bill cut in front of her.

"Severus." She said in a welcoming tone. "Albus would like to talk to you." He walked past Ginny and up the stairs, Severus followed suit without a word. Ginny leant back against the wall and took a deep breath. He was back.

After she had spent some time in the hall trying to register the fact that Severus was back, alive, she went back into the room where Harry, Ron and Hermione were watching television. She sat on the lounge and took to staring through the screen.

"Where did you go?" Hermione asked her.

"To the toilet." She said vaguely, Hermione nodded suspiciously. Ginny wanted to find Severus. She wanted to hold him, kiss him. She had no idea how long he would be with Dumbledore for, but knowing the Order of the Phoenix, it would be a while. She wanted to find out where he and Dumbledore were talking and hug him, just to make sure she didn't imagine him, to make sure he was still in one piece.

…………………………………………………………………………………………

That evening there were great festivities around the dinner table as the members of the Order celebrated Christmas eve, and drank to the prospect of seeing another Christmas. It wasn't until Ginny was halfway through her meal that she noticed Severus and Dumbledore slip into the dining room and take a seat, she looked over at Severus. He glanced up and caught her eye before smiling and serving his dinner.

"Ginny! Here!" said Bill throwing a small box at her head. It struck her square on the temple making her family laugh, she picked up the box from where it landed on the table and threw her brother a dirty look.

"What is it?" she asked, Billy smiled and motioned for her to open it. She untied the bow on the outside of the box and lifted the lid of slowly, only to be blasted by a stream of orange slime that clung to her face. Bill, Fred and George howled with laughter and gave each other high fives over the dinner table.

"We told you she would trust you!" Fred and George laughed, Bill grinned Ginny's face reddened. Thankfully the goo hid her embarrassment at being sucked in by her brothers, not to mention the anger. Ginny felt the slime being sucked off her face and she looked around, blushing. "Hey!" Cried Fred looking around. "Who did that?" Ginny looked around as well, her eyes landed on Severus who winked at her, she smiled thankfully before nudging Harry.

"Thanks Harry." She said, he looked up from his food.

"I didn… oh. That's okay Gin, no problems." He said with a proud smile, Ginny groaned internally, she knew Harry would take credit for it.

The main course of dinner was finished and the table was being cleared for desert. Ginny sat back in her chair, not sure whether she would have room for any desert. She hadn't eaten for a long time, and her stomach wasn't taking the load very lightly. When her mother exited the room Severus excused himself from the table and gave Ginny a stern look telling her to stay where she was. Her shoulders dropped and a frown plagued her face.

Molly entered the room shortly after she left, arms filled with plates of desert, some floating dangerously on the edge of her limb, threatening to fall off. She set a plate down in front of Ginny and leant down to her ear.

"Glad to see your feeling better dear!" She whispered and Ginny felt her mother's lips deliver her a kiss on the cheek, she smiled. And owl flew into the kitchen and frightened Mrs. Weasley, almost knocking her and the deserts to the ground. It settled itself in Ginny's apple pie and held its leg out to her. Ginny rolled her eyes at the owl's landing skills and took the parchment of it's leg. The bird flew out of the kitchen as quickly as it had arrived and Ginny unravelled the letter. Her mother leaned over her and collected her plate. "I'll get you a new one!" She tutted and stalked out of the room. She looked at the letter.

_Ginny._

_Meet me in the basement at eleven._

The letter was unsigned, but at the same moment she looked up she saw Severus settle in his seat and she gave him a knowing look.

"Who's it from?" Ron asked, mouth full of apple pie. Ginny hesitated.

"Hazel… She wanted to wish everyone a merry Christmas." Ginny lied in a tone of Christmas cheer.

"But it isn't Christmas yet." Ron said scrunching up his nose.

"I know Ron. But Hazel is a weird one." She said before spooning a generous amount of apple pie into her mouth.

The rest of desert was eaten with lots of talking and joking, everyone too full to ask for leftovers. It was nine thirty before the Weasley's and the members of the Order filed out of the kitchen. In the hall Ginny saw her mother approach Severus. Ginny tried to listen but couldn't catch the conversation, she wished desperately that she had a pair of extendable ears.

"Ginny, do you want to come and play exploding snap with us?" Hermione asked gesturing to Ron and Harry. Ginny smiled and shook her head.

"No thankyou. I think I will go to bed. That slime takes a lot out of you." She said with a sharp look at Bill who grinned. She retreated to her room to wait out the remaining time until she would meet up with Severus.

…………………………………………………………………………………………

Ginny put her book away and stepped out of her bed. She wrapped her dressing gown around her and slid her feet into her slippers. She pulled a candle out of her draw and lit it off the one on her bedside table. The house was fitted with electricity, but the constant flow of magic current rendered it useless.

She tiptoed down two flights of stairs and towards the drawing room, which held the entrance to the basement. She had never been down there, her parents said she couldn't enter it until they had finished cleaning it. It was meant to have been cleaned while she was away at Hogwarts so she was sure that she would be safe. She walked to the drawing room door and it opened with a creek. She clenched the muscle in her face, hoping no one could hear her. She relaxed a little when she remembered that the bedrooms were on the second floor. The door that led to the basement stairs was slightly ajar, so she opened it slowly, stepped through the threshold and then closed it full behind her. She walked down the stairs and noticed that the room was lit by a magical glow, most likely using lumos.

She stepped onto the landing and looked around. Severus was standing in the middle of the room, wand tip alight. She stared at him for a moment before dropping her candle and running over to him. She dropped his wand as she approached and hugged her tightly, lifting her off the ground. She buried her head in his chest and began to cry, he kissed her gently.

"I love you." He whispered, his voice rung through her ears, washing away the emptiness and pain she had felt for the past two weeks and she looked up at him.

"You are late!" She said, he lowered her back onto the ground and gave her a painful grimace.

"I know, I am sorry. I got held up." He said softly. She took a step away from him and scanned his body. Her eyes settled on the gash across his neck, it started from somewhere on the back and stopped in the middle of his throat, she let out a sob and he kissed her. "I am fine." He assured her, she looked up at his neck again and ran her fingers over the gash, noticing that a scar was forming.

Severus stood still while she inspected his cuts and wounds. Loving the way her skin felt against his own. She looked stunning. Her dressing gown had become loose, revealing her soft pink nightie, it reached just below her knees, and the top was cut in a v, revealing her soft white skin.

"I had begun to think I lost you." She whispered, wide eyed, _you almost did_. He thought. On his trip there had been a few occasions where all that kept him going was knowing that he would see her again, hold her, kiss her, feel her warmth melt his heart.

"I promised that I would come back." He said, she nodded and pulled him into a bone breaking hug. He smelt the flowery scent of her and he relaxed completely, enjoying the pure love that he felt for her. He kissed her passionately and she responded almost desperately, her hands exploring every part of him. After a few minutes he pulled away from her and led her over to an old lounge in the corner of the room, he sat down on it and pulled her onto his lap.

"I was worried about you." She muttered, he brushed some loose strands of hair off her face. "There were times when I felt all warm, and I just knew you were okay. And then there was one time that I felt… oh, Severus, I thought you were dead." She cried. He had hoped that his skills at legilimency had succeeded in giving her some insight into his wellbeing.

"I am sorry," he said "that was my fault. I used legilimency to let you know if anything was happening, and to let you know that I was fine." She looked up at him.

"Legilimency? I didn't know you could do that without eye contact." She said, he nodded thoughtfully.

"It is hard, that is why you only got unexplained feelings. Sometimes, if you concentrate hard enough and you have a special connection with a person you are able to penetrate into their mind, no matter the distance." He explained, she smiled.

"A special connection?" she asked innocently, he smiled back at her.

"In this case it was love." He told her, she embraced him tightly and kissed him on the cheek.

They sat in each other's arms and all measurement of time escaped them. Ginny was revelling in his presence, as he was in hers. They needed no words, they didn't need to say how much they adored each other, the contentment they felt was all they needed. Ginny sat up.

"Severus?" she asked, he looked at her.

"Yes my love?" he asked caressing her face with is unscratched hand, she caught it in her own and kissed it tenderly.

"What did my mother say after dinner?" She asked, he laughed.

"She invited me over for Christmas day." He said, Ginny smiled, even though she knew her mother wasn't to fond of Severus, the Weasley hospitality had a range of extents.

"Did you say yes?" She asked, he nodded slightly.

"I did, but only to lunch." He said, she hugged him tightly. "Actually." He said sitting up straight and summoning his wand. He muttered a spell and the time floated in front of them in glowing yellow lettering. "Happy Christmas my love." He said happily kissing her deeply. Ginny was unspeakably happy to hear those words, she never thought he would return, let alone just in time for her favourite holiday of the year. He pulled away from her and looked at the time again, he sighed and rose from his seat.

"Don't go." Ginny hissed painfully, he held her hand and smiled.

"I will be back for lunch." He murmured. She held onto his hand tightly.

"I want to spend more time with you." She said, he smiled.

"Tell me my love," he begun "do you usually see your friend Hazel over the Christmas holidays?" He asked, she nodded.

"Not usually until the twenty seventh though, it is a tradition." She explained, puzzled as to where this conversation was going.

"You will get a letter from Hazel this morning asking you to come early so you can meet her cousins from France. Is that okay with you?" He asked, her eyebrows knitted together in confusion.

"But she doesn't have any French cousins…" he raised his eyebrow and suddenly it clicked "Oh. Yes. That is fine by me." She laughed and hugged him. "How early does she want me to come?" Ginny asked, Severus shrugged.

"It is up to you Ginevra." He said, she looked into his eyes.

"I think I would need to stay over an extra night in order to get acquainted with her cousins properly." She said, he nodded slowly as he registered what she had just suggested.

"As you wish." He said before kissing her passionately and walking out of the room. She dropped onto the lounge and sat there for a short while before heading back to bed.

…………………………………………………………………………………………

Ginny was woken up three hours after she went to sleep. Hermione was sitting on the end of her bed with a grin on her face.

"Merry Christmas 'Mione." She slurred, and rubbed her eyes. She couldn't be expected to wake up with the minute amount of sleep she received.

"Merry Christmas Ginny." She said, "Your mum wanted me to tell you breakfast was ready." Ginny sat up and looked around the room.

"Alright, I'm getting up." She growled as she pushed Hermione off the bed. Hermione waltzed out of the room and Ginny got dressed.

Ten minutes later Ginny was sitting at the breakfast table savouring the smell of her mothers cooking. There was bacon, eggs, sausages, porridge, hash browns, French toast, croissants and more. Mrs. Weasley had really outdone herself. Most of the members of the Order were seated around the table, some on magically conjured chairs. Ginny was used to a Weasley Christmas, with seven children and her parents, and now it seemed like her family had tripled in size. She was aware that Severus was not coming, but wished that he was. It would have pleased her to see him enjoying a meal with her family, but she had to wait until lunchtime.

True to his word, an owl sent by Severus bustled into the window, he had even gone to the trouble to use the same owl as the night before. Luckily, the owl didn't knock anybody over, and it only managed to sit on Ginny's fork, not her food. She untied the letter and read it carefully, it was not like Severus' normal writing, and she found it rather interesting to see how he thought Hazel worded her sentences.

_Heya Ginny!_

_Mum asked me to invite you over earlier because some of my cousins are coming over from France for boxing day! I know it is REALY short notice and all, but I think it would be fun if you could meet them!_

_See you soon!_

_Hazel._

_P.S. Merry Christmas, again (pass it on)!_

He hadn't done a terrible job, but on the same note it wasn't wonderful. Ginny waved the letter at her mother.

"Hey Mum!" She called through a mouthful of bacon and eggs, her mother looked up at her and eyed the letter with interest. "It's from Hazel!" She said, her mother smiled pleasantly. "She says happy Christmas again. Here, read." She said, shovelling more food into her mouth.

"Ginny dear, do you mind if I read it after breakfast?" She asked.

"Not at all mum!"

…………………………………………………………………………………………

After a filling breakfast the Weasley family and some of the members of the Order who had taken semi-permanent residence at Grimmauld place sat in the lounge room huddled around a charmed red and green flame. The time to exchange presents had come and there was a lot of noise and cheer. Ginny had received a jumper from her mother and father as well as enough sweets to last a lifetime. Fred and George bought her a barn owl which they charmed to grow pink feathers, Bill and Charlie put together for her to get her a rare dragon tooth in a solid gold box, and Ron and Hermione got her a book about cosmetic potion making. There were two presents left in the pile of wrapping paper she had in front of her. One was front he Order of the Phoenix as a group, and it looked as though everybody had received one. And another one in the Gryffindor colours, most likely from Harry. She opened the purple tissue paper around the box that was from the Order. Since being reunited, the Order of the Phoenix had become like one large family, there were disagreements and grudges, but over all every one got along and grew protective of one another. The box contained a delicate gold bracelet with a series of red stones in it, there was a note and the bottom of the box.

_Ginevra Weasley,_

_This bracelet contains magically enhanced rubies, they are designed to glow faintly when a person anointed with the Dark Mark is near._

_Stay safe,_

_The Order of the Phoenix._

Ginny looked around and it seems as though the same bracelet in different colour combinations and styles was given to all of the women in the room she looked at Ron as he put a chain around him neck, it too looked as though it had gotten a necklace with a pendant on it, designed to do the same thing.

Ginny hesitated before opening the red and gold box, she was right. Tucked under the ribbon there was a small note from Harry wishing her a merry Christmas, it was signed '_Love, Harry._' She sighed and tucked the note with her others and opened the box. Inside there was a pair of earrings with a teardrop shaped stone dangling from the main clasp. She held them up to look and them and then put them on her lap, they went black to match her skirt. She put them against her shirt and they went green. She had heard of these before, they were charmed to match whatever you are wearing. She looked over at Harry who was staring at her expectantly, she smiled and mouthed her thanks, he smiled back at her.

…………………………………………………………………………………………

Severus arrived at the Headquarters of the Order an hour before lunch and walked into the kitchen. Molly was hurriedly preparing dinner and Ginny was helping her. Severus had to stop himself from staring at Ginny, she looked lovely out of her uniform. Her black skirt touched the ground and fit her perfectly, and her shirt, a dark emerald green, hugged her body. He walked over to Molly.

"Happy Christmas Molly." He drawled, she looked up at him and smiled, Ginny looked at him "Ginevra," he nodded.

"Good to see you Severus. Lunch won't be too much longer." She said chirpily.

"Oooh. Mum, you forgot to read that letter." Ginny said shoving the letter in her mothers face. Molly read it over.

"I don't know it you will be able to go early dear," she said, Severus' inside gave a painful twist, Ginny looked at him reassuringly, he was sure she knew how to convince her mother. "Your father was going to take you, and I think he is on duty tomorrow."

Ginny hadn't thought of that. It was Severus' turn to look at her reassuringly.

"I have to stay here and hold up the fort," Molly said, she looked thoughtful. "Nymphadora and Remus are going out, Fred and George have to open their shop up… Bill and Charlie and Fluer are going home…" She tutted "There isn't anyone I would trust to take you." She frowned. Severus turned to leave the room. "Do you desperately want to go?" Molly whispered to her daughter, Ginny watched as Severus headed towards the door. Ginny nodded eagerly. "Severus…" Molly called, he turned around. "I know it is your time off tomorrow… and you have probably already made plans, but would you mind dropping Ginny off at her friends house? I would take her but I am busy. Not to say that you're not busy of course." Ginny tugged her mother's sleeve playing the game.

"Mum!" She hissed "I don't want to go with-" Ginny was cut off by a her mother's elbow in her ribs.

"He's not that bad." She whispered, Ginny rolled her eyes.

"Where is it?" Severus said slowly, uninterestedly.

"In Northam Street." Molly said, Severus looked thoughtful for a moment.

"That isn't too far from my house." He said, with an emphasis on the word too.

"That is why I asked… if you can't that's fine, but I was just hoping… because Hazel's cousins from France are coming over, and Ginny has desperately wanted to meet them for years…" She trailed off and Ginny had to stop herself from grinning. Her mother lied about the last part, because Ginny didn't know Hazel had cousins from France, until that morning of course, when Severus told her she did.

"It shouldn't be too much trouble." He hissed before turning on his heel and stalking out of the room. _Brilliant_.

"There you go dear!" Molly said as she smiled, happy with her negotiation skills.

"But Snape?" Ginny hissed, Molly gave her a reprimanding look.

"Would you rather not go?" She asked, Ginny shook her head and continued stirring the gravy.

…………………………………………………………………………………………

Ginny sat at the table enjoying her lunch, even though she wasn't hungry. The lunch was more for the people who hadn't attended the breakfast, over half of the faces were different to the ones that she had seen at breakfast, including Severus'.

"Ginny…" Came Harry's voice from beside her, she looked at him. "Did you like the earrings?" he asked.

"Yes Harry, they are lovely." She said in a gracious tone, he grinned proudly.

"Ginny…" he begun, "I know the last two months or so haven't really been that great… but, the year is almost over, and I would like to start it on a good note. I would also like to go into the New Year with you by my side." He held her hand under the table. "I wont be at Hogwarts next year, but I would make every effort to see you. Ginny, there are dark times ahead, and I would like to know that I will be the one to protect you." He said. Ginny's heart tore to hear him speak so desperately.

"Harry," it was her turn to speak now "I don't know how to make you understand this, but I have tried so many times already. I don't have feelings for you anymore. You are a great friend, and that is how I want it to stay. You are really an amazing guy, honestly, but I can't help it. I don't have the same feelings for you that I had last year." She gave his hand a tight squeeze before letting go, he looked at her sadly.

"Is there someone else?" He asked, Ginny's heart skipped a beat.

"No." She lied, he nodded and turned back to his food. Ginny looked over at Severus who presented her with a questioning look. If she wasn't with him she would have jumped at Harry's offer months ago. She used to like Harry, but now that Severus was more that a potions master to her she had no feelings for him whatsoever, and Harry was clearly having a hard time understanding that.

…………………………………………………………………………………………

Ginny went to bed that evening eager to wake up the next morning. She thought that the way Severus manipulated her mother was wonderful. Molly thought that it was her idea for Severus to escort Ginny and was very pleased with herself for managing to convince him to take on the role.

With her bag packed for her time away she drifted off to a restless sleep.

…………………………………………………………………………………………

Ginny looked at herself in the mirror once more and smoothed her clothes over. She was wearing a pair of jeans that hugged figure perfectly, and a white turtleneck skivvy that complemented her bust. She realised when she woke up that Severus had only seen her out of uniform on a few occasions and decided she better make an effort. She walked over to her cupboard and pulled out her favourite long grey coachman jacket and pulled it on. When she was satisfied with her clothes tidiness she walked down the corridor towards the stairs to go to the lounge room. Hermione stepped out of Ron and Harry's room.

"Hermione!" Ginny said, Hermione blushed furiously "Good to see you took my idea of a threesome!" She said, Hermione glared at her.

"I did not have a threesome Ginny! Don't be daft. Harry wasn't even in the room!" Ginny was shocked. Hermione in a room alone with her brother? Surely that couldn't be good.

"Hermione, you know what? I don't want to know about it." Ginny said and started to walk, Hermione stepped in front of her.

"Ginny, nothing happened." Ginny nodded and tried to walk, Hermione still in her way. She took a step back and put her hands on her hips.

"Well then Hermione, why were you blushing?" Ginny asked, Hermione rolled her eyes.

"Clearly because it would become an awkward situation… just like this one as a matter of fact… Ginny, you look nice… what's the occasion?" Hermione said matter-of-factly.

"Really Hermione, I don't appreciate you changing the subject. But, I am looking nice because I am going to meet some of Hazel's French cousins today." Ginny said with a grin.

"You know Ginny, Harry really does like you. Perhaps you should consider going out with him." Hermione told her softly, Ginny rolled her eyes.

"Okay Hermione, do you know why I can't go out with him?" She asked, Hermione shook her head "Because I have feelings for you." She said, Hermione sighed and begun to walk away. "I LOVE YOU!" She called after her "WILL YOU BE MINE?" Hermione was gone. Now, with a clear path Ginny made her way down the stairs to see Severus and her mother talking. Severus looked up at her and raised his eyebrows.

" Morning Professor." She said as she approached them, she gave her mother a kiss.

"Good Morning sweetheart." Mrs Weasley said cheerfully. "Severus wants to leave as soon as possible, he has made plans for lunch and does not want to be late." Ginny nodded.

"Have you got what you need?" Severus asked her as though she was a child, she nodded and tapped her pocket. For her birthday Fred and George had given her a suitcase that shrunk to fit in your pocket when you closed it. "Very well." Severus said "Goodbye Molly, I will see you tomorrow." He started to walk away.

"Love you mum." Ginny saying giving her mother a kiss and following Severus as though she was walking to her death.

When they got out of the door Severus looked around before speaking to her.

"Who do you love?" He asked with a grin, Ginny laughed.

"Hermione." She told him, he looked slightly shocked. "She wouldn't get out of my way so I told her that I didn't want to go out with Harry because I love her." Severus smiled.

"Did Harry ask you out again?" Ginny nodded.

After walking for fifteen minutes Ginny looked around, she had no idea where she was.

"Where are we?" Ginny asked, Severus smiled.

"We are on our way to the train station, that is the best way to get to my house." He said, Ginny smiled and reached for his hand. He looked around and then gave her a kiss on the cheek.

…………………………………………………………………………………………

The ride on the train was too uncomfortable for Ginny's liking. The Hogwarts express was smooth and rarely ever jolted, but that was all this train seemed to do. No one was the train uncomfortable, but so were the looks that her and Severus received from the muggles. They were not holding hand or touching, only talking, and there were plenty of muggle that were content to fill their boredom by staring at them rudely.

Ginny was happy to alight the train and head out to the main streets. Severus steered her to the left when they reached the end of the street that the station was on. They walked down a few dank streets, past many rundown houses with children making snowmen and playing outside of them. After walking for quiet a while Severus stopped and opened up the gate to what Ginny guessed was his house, it was in better structural condition that many of the cottages on the street, but looked uninhabited. There was no smoke coming from the chimney, no windows open, no children playing out the front. No sign of life. When they approached the door Severus looked around before taking out his wand and muttering a password.

"Come in." He said opening the door for her. His house looked as though it rarely had human contact. Ginny stepped into the lounge room, the first room of the house. The lounged looked as though no one has used them in years, and the house was kept very clean, something that was rare for a Weasley to see.

"This is the lounge room," He said, he held her hand and led her to the back of the room, where there was a door. She walked down a corridor lined with pictures of a woman that had to have been his mother. She had long black hair; which framed a pale face and soft blue eyes.

"Is that your mother?" She asked, he nodded. "She's beautiful."

He showed her the kitchen, dining room and bathroom before walking back to the lounge room and up a set of dark wood stairs. The second story looked very similar to the first, but the hall runner looked more worn and the curtains were drawn at the end of the hall revealing a full-length window.

"This is where you will be staying," He said opening the first door that led off the landing. She stepped inside and looked around. The room had dark wooden floorboards that were slightly polished, and a comfortable looking four-poster bed. The med was made with fresh cotton sheets, in black and green and the curtains of the room matched the bedspread perfectly. There was a large wardrobe and an old fashioned dressing table. The dressing table had noting on it, and Ginny guessed that it had been Severus' parent's room.

"It's lovely." She said taking her suitcase out of her pocket and tapping it with her wand.

"There is a bathroom just across from here." He said putting his hand on her back.

"And your room?" She asked.

"At the end of the corridor." He told her. "Are you hungry?" He asked, she nodded and he went to walk out of the room, she put her hand on his shoulder.

"I have your Christmas present." She said opening her suitcase and taking out a green box with silver ribbon wrapped around it generously.

"I have something for you too." He sold her "Wait here." Severus walked out of the room and in the direction of his bedroom. Ginny looked around. On the wall there was a picture of Severus' mother and father on their wedding day. It was a muggle photo, but it still managed to capture his parents in a tone of happiness. She looked around the walls and there were hooks on the wall that looked as though pictures had once hung on them. After a few moments Severus walked back into the room.

"Here you are!" Ginny said handing over the box, Severus placed a small package into her hand, wrapped in brown paper and tied together with string. Severus managed to find his way through the ribbon on Ginny's present and opened the box. Inside there was a silver photo frame with a photo of the two of them inside. He looked at it, puzzled.

"How did you do this?" He asked, Ginny grinned.

"Colin taught me how to do a spell that merges two photos together." She said proudly, Severus looked at it.

"Where did you get the photo of me from?" He asked, Ginny laughed.

"Colin has a large collection of photos Severus, everything from the bark on a tree in the forbidden forest to Professor Dumbledore and McGonagall at the teacher's table." She said, Severus shivered.

"I find that rather intimidating." He said, she laughed again.

"Don't, his parents are muggles and they are fascinated by everything that has to do with the Wizarding World. He wants to share it with them." She said, Severus nodded towards the package in her hands and she opened in.

Inside the brown paper was a layer of red tissue paper, out of that fell a heavy silver make-up compact with a silver unicorn and a woman engraved on it, she opened it up and inside was some blush and a mirror framed in tiny diamonds, she smiled.

"Thankyou." She said and kissed him. He took it out of her hands.

"I don't think I have ever seen you wear make up." He said "And you don't need to." Ginny was puzzled as to why he had given her a compact mirror and blush. "It is a two way mirror. So, when you want to talk to me, open it up, and it I am at my mirror we can see and hear each other." She grinned.

"So, do you have one like this?" She asked tapping the compact, he rolled his eyes.

"No, it is connected to my shaving mirror at Hogwarts." He replied, she nodded and slipped it into her pocket.

"That was a wonderful idea." She kissed him deeply and he wrapped his arms around her.

"What about something to eat?" He asked when he pulled away.

…………………………………………………………………………………………

Ginny and Severus sat on the lounge huddled in each other's arms. They had not spent more that ten minutes apart from one another since they arrived at Severus' house, and they were thoroughly enjoying their time together. Severus' stroked Ginny's hair as he talked to her and every so often he would kiss her neck.

"Ginny," he begun "when do you need to he at Hazels?" He asked.

"I told her I would be there around midday." She replied, Severus nodded and looked up at the clock, it was quarter to twelve.

"I think it is time for bed." He said before kissing her cheek softly, she smiled.

"Yes… I suppose we have to be up early tomorrow." She said, he gave her a squeeze before she stood up. "I'm going to get ready for bed." She said and headed up the stairs. He walked around the house and closed up all of the windows and door, locking the doors magically. He walked up the stairs and to the end of the corridor and pulled the curtains closed before heading into his room and pulling his clothes off and slipping on a pair of black pyjamas. He walked out of his room to go to the bathroom, but the door was locked. It had been a very long time since he had had to share a bathroom, and waited outside somewhat impatiently. When the door opened and Ginny stepped out his heart began to race. She looked wonderful in a plain white, low cut, nightie she smiled and pecked him on the lips before heading into the guest room. He entered the bathroom, noticing it smelt like her. He wished it smelled that good all the time.

Ginny combed the knots out of her hair slowly as she thought about the past week, and how she thought she had lost Severus. She regretted that she didn't get to say goodbye properly and wished that she would have, then perhaps, the thought of loosing him might not have been to sad. She looked at the bracelet that the Order had given her, it was glowing faintly and she forced a smile. She would have to put up with it glowing whenever Severus was around. She heard the bathroom door open and she walked out into the corridor.

"Severus." She said, as soon as he turned around she pressed her lips against his and kissed him passionately. "Goodnight." She whispered into his ear when he pulled away from her.

"Goodnight." He replied and kissed her once more, before turning around and walking to his room.

When Severus reached his door he stopped and turned around.

"Ginny… what are you doing?" He asked, Ginny smiled.

"Following you." She replied, he took a deep breath in.

"Why?" He asked. Ginny smiled and stepped closer to him, kissing him wildly she opened the door to his room and walked him through the threshold. "Ginny…" He breathed, she put a finger to his lips just as the clock stuck the midnight hour.

"I don't want to loose you again." She whispered and shut the door behind her.

…………………………………………………………………………………………

A/N: Well, there you have it. I couldn't bear to kill Severus off, this chapter has actually been planned for quiet a while, so the thought didn't even cross my mind cough until someone mentioned it cough. The next chapter will be up soon hopefully, but I am also working on a new story, so please be a little patient with me!

Thanks a bundle,

Sinister Spiders!


	14. Down Under

_Warning: _This chapter contains some content not suitable for people under sixteen.

_The Midnight Hour_

**CHAPTER FOURTEEN:** Down Under

Ginny woke up cradled in Severus' arms, her head resting against his chest. She looked around his room, he hadn't taken much notice of it the night before. It was a plain cream colour and the walls were bare. He had no photos, no paintings, no posters not even a clock. His bed was a four-poster, less ornate than the ones at Hogwarts and the floorboard were worn to a dull polish. Severus spent most of his year at Hogwarts, so he didn't pay much attention to his house.

Severus felt Ginny stir in his arms and looked down at her, flaming red hair and pale skin. His mind ran through the events of the previous night and he couldn't help smiling. He enjoyed her company, and loved her dearly. There was more than one occasion where he had told Ginny that they should not be doing what they were doing, but she put a silencing finger to his lip and gave him a reassuring smile. Whenever he thought about it his logical side told him that he was easily old enough to be her father, and that what they did was wrong, but, his heart told him that it didn't matter. He kissed her head and she looked up.

"Morning Severus." She whispered, he hugged her tightly.

"Morning Ginny." He replied, she smiled and adjusted her position. Her bare skin brushed against his.

"I love you." She told him, he smiled and told her he loved her too. He stroked her hair and kissed her softly. He took her watch off his bedside table and looked at it, she had to be at her friend's house in two hours.

"It is ten o'clock my love." He told her, she took the watch out of his hand and put it aside.

"Don't fret over the time." She whispered, and then kissed him passionately. "We have all of the time in the world." She kissed him again more intensely and pulled his body closer to his own. She felt his body react to her and he gave her an awkward look. "We wont be able to spend time with each other alone for a long while." She whispered before running her hand down his body and kissing him invitingly.

* * *

Ten minutes before Ginny and Severus arrived at Hazel's house Severus walked into a restaurant to use their bathroom. He walked into the room and shut the toilet stall door behind him. He pulled a small potion phial out of his pocket and pinched his nose before swallowing it whole.

Ginny stood just inside the restaurant and waited for him. The place was packed with muggles hungry for their lunch. They seemed completely unaware of her waiting there. She wondered if they had any idea of the war raging all across the world. Probably not.

"Ginny." She heard someone call her and she looked around, she froze in shock when she saw her father walking towards her. He smiled. "It's me!" He said looking around, she took a step back.

"Dad… I am here with Hazel-" He interrupted her.

"Ginny, it is Severus." Ginny raised her eyebrows "And how do I know that you are not lying?" She asked, he leant in close to her.

"We have made love." He whispered, she flushed. That is not something she wanted to hear from someone who looked like her father.

"Okay. Why do you look like my father?" She asked, he smiled.

"Because I took a polyjuice potion, your mother gave me your father's hair yesterday so that it wouldn't look strange if I dropped you off at Hazel's house. After all, you are still supposed to be at the burrow." He told her, she nodded and they walked out of the restaurant together.

* * *

Ginny spent two days at Hazel's. She enjoyed the two days, Hazel was an only child and her parents were wonderful. Ginny and Hazel were allowed to do almost anything they wanted to do and stayed up late each night talking.

Ginny's pink owl, which she named Seraphina (Sera for short), left with a letter for her parents early on her first day at Hazel's house, and returned the next morning dyed a dark, inconspicuous brown with a note from her mother chiding her for being so irresponsible. She had to admit that her mother had a point, Grimmauld place _was_ meant to be the hideout for the Order of the Phoenix, and it would look very suspicious if a hot pink owl kept flying towards the spot where it was meant to be between number twelve and thirteen.

Ginny had packed up all of her clothes, ready to return to Grimmauld Place and was waiting for her brother to pick her up. Hazel was walking around her house once more to make sure Ginny left nothing behind. Ginny took the compact out of her pocket and flipped it open. She saw her owl reflection grimacing back at her, she closed it softly and placed it back in her pocket. She still felt an overwhelming rush of relief that Severus was back and was happy to have spent time with him.

"Gin, here." Hazel said and handed her a pair of socks.

"Thanks Hazel," Ginny stuffed them into a side pocket of her bag. "Hazel?"

"Yeah?"

"Well," Ginny begun, Hazel eyed her suspiciously. "Before I came here I went and spent and slept over at Fred and George's, but Dad didn't want me to. So, mum told him that I was staying here for an extra night." She explained. Hazel thought for a moment then nodded.

"Okay. So, if your dad asks you were here?" She confirmed.

"Meeting your French cousins." Ginny added.

"Meeting my French cousins. Check." Ginny laughed and zipped up her bag. She really didn't like lying to Hazel, but she couldn't exactly tell her the real reason. Hazel did know about her relationship, but she definitely would not approve of Ginny spending a night alone with the potions master.

* * *

Ginny returned to Grimmauld Place with out being asked too much about Hazel's cousins and what they were like. Her father seemed somewhat preoccupied and when she walked into the head quarters of the Order, most of its members were in a secret meeting with Harry, Ron and Hermione. Ginny went to her room and unpacked her belongings. After she was done she walked down to the lounge room to watch some television, she had to admit, it was extremely addictive.

It was late afternoon by the time the meeting broke apart and the members of the Order flooded the corridor. She walked out of the lounge room, hoping to see Severus. Her mother spotted her immediately and pulled her into a bone crunching.

"How was your time dear?" she asked.

"Good thanks Mum, Hazel's cousins are nowhere near as bad as Phlegm." Her mother laughed and patted her on the head before rushing off to the kitchen. She walked further down the corridor finally spotting Severus, he was in casual looking conversation with McGonagall and when he spotted her the corner of his lips tugged into a barrels noticeable smile she grinned at him before she felt a tapping on her back, she turned around to see Harry. She felt like rolling her eyes, but stopped herself just in time. Harry's hair was messier than usual and the circles around his eyes had darkened slightly, he smiled before speaking.

"Hey Ginny, how was your trip?" He asked.

"Okay thanks." She replied, he nodded.

"Can we talk?" He asked, she nodded and followed him down the corridor and through a door that led to small, overgrown yard. They stepped out into the snow and wind and Harry shut the door behind them. He looked lost for words and Ginny was sincerely hoping that he wasn't going to ask her out again. There was silence for five more minutes, Ginny pulled her jacket more tightly around her and waited patiently.

"While you were away, we heard some really bad news." He told her, she nodded, not wanting to know what the news was. "I don't know if you know this, but Voldemort doesn't only have death eaters in Europe. He has been recruiting followers worldwide for the past two years. The death eaters have begun displaying their beliefs publicly, like they did at the Quidditch World Cup. Do you remember?" he asked, Ginny tried not to think back to that night, it had been one of the most frightening in her life, along with the Chamber of Secrets and the department of mysteries. She nodded, willing her memories away. "Well, there was a particularly bad one in Australia a day or so before Christmas. There were a lot of people killed, but there are some survivors." Ginny thought for a moment and then her memory ran over the conversation she had on the Hogwarts Express with Felicity and Colin. Her heart skipped a beat when she realized that she had not heard from her Felicity since that day on the train.

"Felicity?" When Harry looked away she brought her hands to her mouth.

"We don't know if she is still alive. Her, and her parents have been reported as missing. They haven't found their bodies among the wreckage… so, they might still…" He trailed off, Ginny looked away from him and he placed his hand on hers. He thought before he spoke. "The order doesn't want anyone knowing until numbers are final, but I thought that I should tell you. I didn't want you to read about it in the Daily Prophet and be shocked." She nodded and he turned to walk back inside. He stopped before opening the door. "I am sure they will find them." He whispered. Ginny slumped against the fence and closed her eyes.

* * *

"Why didn't you tell me?" Ginny asked. Severus looked away from her and she brandished the Daily Prophet in front of her mirror.

"I didn't want you to worry." He told her, she rolled her eyes.

"So you would rather me pick up the Daily Prophet and read that a group of mediwitches had to spend eight hours casting spells on one of my friends to make sure she kept breathing?" Ginny put the paper down on the table. Severus looked at her through the mirror and took a deep breath. It took two days for the Daily Prophet to report the incident in Australia, and that was how long it was before she heard anything about Felicity. She had to admit, she was happy to find out that her and her family were safe. "How long have you known?"

"A week." He told her. She thought for a moment.

"But, the order have only known for… six days. How did you know?" Severus was silent. She glared at him through her mirror.

"Where are you?" He asked.

"In my room." She replied.

"Is everyone asleep?" He asked, she nodded and looked at her watch. It was after one o'clock in the morning. He disappeared from the mirror and she let out a large breath of air before shutting it angrily. She leant closer to the candle on her bedside table and blew it out before lowering her head onto her pillow. She turned to face the wall and tried to calm down. She knew that Severus wasn't meant to tell her these things, but it annoyed her that Harry found it important enough to tell her and Severus did not mention it at all. She pulled her covers up around her and closed her eyes.

A few minutes later her door creaked open and she sat up quickly, looking towards it, but it was too dark for her to see.

"Who is it?" She asked, feeling around on her bedside table for her wand. The person shut the door and she heard the lock click. She tried to find her wand more frantically.

"Lumos." The person hissed in deep voice. A wand tip ignited in the middle of the room and revealed Severus' pale face. Relief flooded through her.

"You scared the shit out of me." She hissed angrily, he brought his finger to his lips before casting a silencing charm on her room. He walked over to her bed and sat on it, careful to miss her legs.

"I can't stay for long." He told her, she nodded.

"Why did you just leave?" She asked, he took her hand.

"I need to tell you something." He told her, she nodded and crossed her legs under the covers. "I didn't want to tell you what happened in Australia." He begun.

"Clearly." She hissed, he squeezed her hand softly and she closed her mouth.

"It happened the day before I returned." He told her, she nodded and her eyes scanned the scar on his neck. Suddenly, her mind was illuminated as if by the lumos spell from his wand.

"You told the Order." She whispered. He nodded. "You were there." Anger stirred in the pit of her stomach. "You were there?" She said a bit louder "And you did nothing to help those people?" She hissed, he looked away. "You… you didn't…" she begun, he looked back at her and he shook his head quickly.

"I didn't kill anyone. As soon as it begun I left, but not before this happened," he gestured towards his neck. "One of the death eaters saw me turn to leave and cursed me before taking be to Voldemort." He said, Ginny winced and gripped his hand more tightly. He brought his free hand up to caress his face.

"All I could think about was you." He whispered tenderly, she looked away from him. "I managed to convince Voldemort that Dumbledore would not trust me if I killed someone. After hours he finally agreed before telling me to leave." Ginny bit her lip.

"Did you see Felicity?" She asked, he nodded.

"That is what made me leave." He said, she blinked back her tears. He pulled her against his chest and wrapped his arms around her. "I am sorry I didn't tell you. I didn't want you to know I was there." He ran his fingers through her hair and kissed her head.

"You don't have to protect me." She hissed, he kissed her again.

"I know." He whispered kissing her again, she looked up at him.

"So, that's why Dumbledore sent you there?" She asked, he nodded and her stomach boiled with anger. She wished that the war was over, she was sick of all the secrecy, the lies.

"It's only just begun." He whispered, as though he read her mind, she buried her head in his chest. He squeezed her and kissed her softly.

"I can't lose you." She murmured, into his shirt.

* * *

Ginny sat on the Hogwarts Express on her way back to Hogwarts. Most of her friends were in a very sober mood after sharing the news of Felicity. They had been told that she would return to school in a week or so, but the thought that the war between Voldemort and the rest of the Wizarding World scared them to pieces. Ginny sat with her forehead pressed against the window, choosing not to take part in the conversation.

"Hey Ginny?" Colin asked, she nodded, "Have you heard the rumours about that group? The Order of the Phoenix?" Ginny shrugged, her parents had been adamant that she did not put herself in any danger by showing affiliation with the groups. "I heard that they are a group of arouras that have been working for years to hunt down you-know-who."

"I hear that Dumbledore leads them." Hazel said, a few people nodded.

"Maybe we should join them. They could probably protect us." Colin said, the other people in the carriage nodded and Ginny wanted to curse them for their stupidity. The Order was already protecting them, they had been for the past few years. They had stopped countless attempts by the death eaters to kill innocent people.

"What do you reckon Ginny?" Hazel asked, Ginny shrugged.

"I don't know." She said.

"I think it is Dumbledore that leads them." Hazel stated confidently, "Apparently, he is the only one who you-know-who is afraid of."

"Hazel, do you really think Dumbledore has enough time to run off fighting death eaters? He has to run the entire school!" Ginny said, Hazel shrugged.

"He could be like a muggle superhero, by day a school headmaster, by night a protector of the innocent." Hazel said, the other laughed and Ginny just looked outside of the train, willing her resentment for her friend's jokes away.

* * *

Ginny sat at her usual seat in the potions classroom, being yelled at by Professor Snape. She just nodded and hummed as he told her off. She had 'accidentally' poured her boiling hot invisibility potion all over her desk, making it disappear. It was sure to get her a few detentions.

"On your first day back you pour your entire potion on your desk. Have you no brains girl?" He roared, she held back her smile. "I will see you in detention." He yelled. She sat back in her seat and tried her best to look annoyed. He stormed to the front of the room. "Class dismissed." He said "So I can clean up Weasley's mess." The class shuffled out of the room.

"Detention on our first day back. Only you, Ginny." Colin laughed as they walked down the corridor. Ginny laughed too.

* * *

A/N: Sorry about how short this chapter is. I have been really busy lately. I am in the middle of my HSC, and if you don't know what that is I think you are the luckiest person alive. I can't have you taking all the luck, so, for those of you who don't know the HSC it, I'll tell you. The HSC, or Higher School Certificate, is the Australian muggle version of the N.E.W.T.S. It is out final year at school, which is concluded with a series of tests. So, my finals. I am halfway through my exams, four down, four to go. And I have about a week break. After my next three exams I have another break, about five days or so, so the next chapter will be up then. I am soooooo sorry that this took so long, but I can tell you that the next chapter is going to be a fun one.

I am thinking of lowering the rating on this story for now, but I don't know, what do you think?

Thanks to everyone who has reviewed, your comments mean the world to me…

**maddudewalking** …. I wont say much, but I am pretty sure it is hard to keep a secret at Hogwarts, as Dumbledore reminded us in the second movie. Thanks for your reviews, the next update wont be too long!

**Mistress of Eternity**…. Thanks for the advice, I have tried to use it. Yay for Snape and Ginny!

**MyEmeraldEyes**…. Thanks dude! Hope you liked this chapter, I know it was a bit short but the next one will be better…. Promise!

**Kime**…. Nah, no intention of killing Severus (yet…. Hehehe evil grin), and that review of your was wonderful.

**Anglic Bladez**… Sorry it took so long, I hate leaving it that long, but yeah…

**Emily Grace Potter**…. Thank you so much! Your sweet. You really have no idea how happy your review made me. Hope I didn't disappoint!

**ArcticAngelzTx **& **Michelle R**…. Thanks for the comments, here's the update for ya! Cheers!

**Everyone Else**… Thanks guys, I hope you enjoy reading as much as I enjoy writing…


	15. Formalities

_Warning: _This chapter contains some content not suitable for people under sixteen.

_The Midnight Hour_

**CHAPTER FIFTEEN:** Formalities

Ginny opened the classroom door and stepped through the threshold, Severus was at his desk reading a hefty looking book that could easily pass for an encyclopaedia. She shut the door behind her and walked over to him, a slight bounce in her step to match her happy disposition. He looked up at her and clicked his tongue.

"You really do try my patience, you know." He drawled, she grinned and shrugged.

"I try to. It is so much fun." She responded, he rolled his eyes.

"I do wish you would do it without making such a mess though." He said as he gestured towards the desk. She laughed. "It took me an hour and a half to get it to that standard." He explained, as far as Ginny could see the edges of the desk were still slightly transparent.

"Why didn't you just wait for the potion to wear off?" She asked, he raised his eyebrow at her.

"I told you at the beginning of the lesson that on a living organism the potion takes four hours to wear off, but in the case of something that it not alive it can take days, perhaps weeks." He explained, "You weren't paying attention." He told her. She shrugged casually.

"Well it is hard to pay attention to what your saying when you look so good." She beamed; he rolled his eyes and beckoned her over, pulling her into a soft hug.

"Well, how about next time you try not to turn something invisible?" He asked.

"Yeah, next time I think I should burn it down. That should be fun." She joked, he squeezed her.

"Please don't tell me I am dating a pyromaniac." He hissed, she laughed and kissed him gently.

"Okay, I wont tell you." She laughed and then pressed her lips against his. "So," she said as she pulled away from him and took a seat from the first row, putting it in front of his desk and sitting down, "What are you reading?" He shut the book and showed her the cover, _Brewing a Battlefield_. It seemed to be a book that contained all types of spells that could be used in all types of battles. She sighed and pushed the book away from her. He brought his hand up to caress her face.

"There have been hundreds of wars before our time." He told her in his calm, droning voice "And we are still here today." He said she looked at him.

"We? Whom do you mean by _we?_" she asked, "If you mean we, as in wizard folk in general, you are right. But if you mean _we_ as in people who fought in the battle then you are wrong. Sirius is dead, the Potters are dead and the Longbottoms are as good as dead. Not to mention hundreds of other innocent people who have fallen. Who is to say that _we_, meaning you and I will survive _this_ war?" She asked, he leant over the desk and pecked her on the lips.

"I saw we will." He told her in a concluding tone, she gave him a faint smile and rubbed her cheek against his hand. "You worry too much." He told her, she laughed.

"It is part of the Weasley genetic code." She replied, "But really Severus, aren't you worried sometimes?" She asked, he shook his head and she laughed sceptically.

"If you worry then you lay your life at themercy of others. When it comes time, you need to be calm, so that you can approach a situation with a logical and responsible outlook. Ginny, you shouldn't fret so much. What will come will come, and you deal with it when it does. There is no point in trying to predict the future when you are dealing with the present." He whispered, her eyes averted from his. "Look where it got Professor Trewlany." He told her, they both laughed and Ginny placed her head on the table.

"I'll try not to worry so much Severus, but it is hard. Whenever I think about the possibility of losing you I don't know hat I would do." She said, he took her hand in his.

"Then don't worry about losing me, because I can assure you that you wont, and if – by some slight chance – you do, you will cope just fine. I am sure Potter will be willing to sweep you off your feet." He said, Ginny laughed.

"If all I have to look forward to is Harry, then it seems as though I will have a bleak future." She laughed, she had no interest in Harry any more. She lifted her head and looked into his eyes. "You and your stinking calmness." She hissed, he smirked.

* * *

A week passed without Ginny burning anything or turning it invisible. She visited Severus for one more detention and spent hours each night that she didn't see him talking to his through her two-way mirror. The Gryffindor versus Slytherin quidditch match was quickly approaching and Harry became more agitated and strict than he had been before. Ginny had a feeling that losing this match would cost Harry more than the Quidditch Cup, he would lose his pride. Judging by the way he acted though, he would lose his life. Ginny had trained in strong wind and heavy snow for the past two nights and was not looking forward to her next week at Hogwarts. Harry had scheduled three night time practises and three lunch time ones. If there was something that Ginny hated more than loosing her night, it was losing her lunch, and she had the feeling that most of her team agreed.

Ginny sat in her large four-poster bed, the scarlet curtains drawn with a silencing spell cast on them. She pulled out her silver compact mirror and opened it. She checked her watch, Severus should appear any moment. She exhaled forcefully and her breath misted up the mirror slightly. She grinned and breathed on it again, a nice layer of mist forming on it now. She used her fingers to carefully draw a love heart and grinned. Moments later she heard Severus' voice.

"Very creative my love." He said, she laughed and rested her head on her pillow.

"How was your day?" Ginny asked, Severus rolled his eyes and sighed.

"The third years were rather hyperactive today. Extremely annoying, might I add. They insisted on a consistent babble. And I also had a highly irritating red head in my sixth year class call me over to ask whether or not she was slicing an ingredient thinly enough." He said, she grinned and rubbed the misted mirror with her fist.

"You poor thing, you should have given the _irritating redhead_ to see you in detention." He shrugged

"No, I think it frustrated her that I didn't. It makes my day when she is disappointed." He replied, Ginny laughed. "Been training hard?" She nodded and rolled up her sleeve, showing him a bruise she received during that evening's training. He tutted sympathetically. "Well, I don't think you have much chance against Slytherin." He said, she raised her eyebrows.

"Well, if you don't maybe you should be talking to me." She told him, he laughed.

"Alright then," he told he. "Goodnight my love." He turned and Ginny laughed.

"You know, it would really peeve me off if you stayed and talked to me." He turned back to face the mirror and looked at her questioningly.

"Really?" he drawled, she nodded adamantly. "Then I am obliged."

"So, can you give me any hints about the Slytherin tactics?" She asked, he tutted.

"Cheating, Miss Weasley? I am surprised." She laughed.

"I like it when you can me Miss Weasley." She hissed.

"Then I shall call you Ginevra." He responded simply, she looked utterly crestfallen.

"Can I call you Professor?" She asked cheekily.

"I thought you already did." He told her, she shrugged "Although, when you call me _Professor_, it makes me feel as if you are a sixth year potions student." He told her, she grinned.

"And you like that do you?" He shook his head.

"Not really, but I do like you." He told her, she smiled.

Severus and Ginny talked for an hour or so before retiring to bed. Ginny put her mirror in her draw and settled into her bed, hoping that she slept right through the next day's classes and training.

* * *

Ginny sat in transfiguration, chewing on her quill absent-mindedly. She, and her friends, had received a letter from Felicity saying that she and her family would be back tomorrow and that she would return to school the next day. Professor McGonagall's lesson travelled straight into one ear and out the other. Ginny was happily sitting in her seat trying to think of nothing, something she realised was near impossible. Hazel nudged her sharply in the stomach and Ginny snapped out of her trance.

"She wants our homework." Ginny bit her lip and searched through the mess of parchment in her bag. After a few moments she heard an impatient tapping on her desk, she looked up slowly to see a disgruntled Professor McGonagall.

"Weasley?" She asked, Ginny smiled sweetly.

"Uh… You see Professor McGonagall, it seems that I have left my homework in the common room. With all of the quidditch training lately I have been very tired, and as you can guess, that has made me extremely forgetful." She gave the professor another smile, and the older woman rolled her eyes.

"Unforgivable Ginevra. But, now you remember where it is you have five minutes to put it onto my desk." She hissed before walking away stiffly. Ginny scrunched up her nose and stood up abruptly. She lied. It wasn't in the common room at all. She had no idea where it was, nor had she any idea if she actually did it.

"Is that enough time for you to write one?" Hazel whispered with a laugh.

"Go Jump." Ginny said before walking out of the classroom quickly. Ginny ran through the stone corridors, feet thumping on the flagstones. Her mind raced over all of the possibilities. If she did do it, where was it? She was too tired to remember what she had done the previous day. She frowned and kept walking. Suddenly, she felt herself being pulled through a door, which quickly closed after her entrance. An arm wrapped around her waist, one hand covering her mouth. The hand on her waist travelled over her hips and towards her breasts. She squeaked, the sound muffled by the hand on her mouth and she struggled to pull away. Whoever was holding her trailed kisses down up her neck and bit her ear. She struggled to get away but was roughly turned around. She looked into the dark eyes staring back at her and brought her hand up to punch her kidnapper in the arm softly.

"What are you doing out of class Miss Weasley?" Severus drawled, she raised her eyebrows and tugged her clothes into a more comfortable position.

"What are you doing abducting me?" She asked, putting her hands on her hips.

"I asked you first." He retorted, she rolled her eyes.

"How did you know it was me?" She asked. He glared at her. "Fine. I need to get my homework from the common room. I think I left it there. Actually, I don't even know if I did it." She said, He tutted.

"What subject was it for?" He asked.

"Transfiguration."

"You were complaining about it two days ago." He told her matter-of-factly, she grinned.

"So I did it?" She asked hopefully. He pressed his lips against hers and kissed her fiercely.

"No." He said when he pulled away, she howled and her shoulders slumped.

"What do I do?" She asked, he grinned.

"You should do your homework next time." He said with a slight shrug of is shoulders. She glared at him and he pulled her body against his, his tongue thrashing against hers. She pulled away from him and glared at him again.

"You, _Professor_, are terrible." She puffed before turning on her heel and rushing out of the room.

Ginny rummaged through her trunk, hoping to find some class notes that she could hand in as homework. She slammed the lid of it shut when she found nothing. She turned to leave, but then stopped on the spot and grinned. She looked around the room carefully before walking over to Hazel's trunk and searching through it feverishly, remembering a trick she had once heard. She clutched a piece of parchment with a triumphant "Aha!" and whipped out her wand. Her eyes scanned over Hazel's class notes and she told herself she would replace them.

"Imera Personifil." She hissed, a stream of black lettering escaped her wand tip and Hazel's lettering was replaced with her own. She grinned and walked into the bathroom, tearing the parchment into jagged-edged squared. She put the pile of scraps on the counter top and aimed her wand at it again. "Incendio" She commanded, the papers began to burn, but before they turned to ashes she blew out the fire. After letting them cool down for a few moments she scooped them into her hand and ran out of the room.

Even though Hazel's noted were in Ginny's writing, McGonagall was sure to notice that they were exactly the same as what Hazel handed in. And really, what sane Hogwarts student would burn their own homework?

Ginny put the pile of parchment onto McGonagall's desk angrily. The professor glared at her and then looked at the pile of burnt parchment.

"What on earth it this Weasley?" She asked, Ginny looked angry.

"I left it on the table beside the fireplace, professor, and some stinking git must have nocked into the fire!" She huffed, the professor looked at her before speaking.

"You can not blame other people for your careless placement of homework Miss Weasley." She hissed, Ginny's eyebrows knitted together. "Detention this evening." She hissed, as the words left her lips Ginny's insides fell, she planned on getting a detention from the potions master that afternoon.

"But Professor! I _did_ do it!" Ginny cried, McGonagall looked thoughtful.

"Fine." She said with a dismissive wave of her hand "You have until tomorrow." Ginny gathered the remnants of Hazel's notes and dropped them in the bin on the way back to her desk. When she sat down Hazel rolled her eyes.

"How did you do it?" She whispered with a laugh, Ginny grinned at her.

"I used your notes." Ginny replied, Hazel's smile quickly turned into a circle of shock. The Ovell sounded and Ginny gathered her belongings and skipped out of the room, Hazel glaring at her retreating back.

* * *

"Why?"

"Because I asked you to."

"I gathered that. But why did you ask me to?"

"I don't need to tell you. Just do it. Don't answer back."

"Why don't you drink it?"

"It's not my job to drink it."

"Well, it's not my job to drink it either."

"Your job it to do whatever I tell you to do."

"No, actually, I don't have a job."

"Just do it."

"But-"

"_Do as I say_."

"Fine." _Gulp._

Ginny turned a magnificent shade of green and the class roared with laughter, she crossed her arms over her chest.

"Happy?" She hissed sitting back. Severus looked at her.

"You might want to rethink your attitude over detention tonight Weasley." Severus said before walking to the front of the classroom. "Ten points off Gryffindor." Ginny glared at his and his eyes twinkled at her. He had caught her just as she was ready to add in an ingredient into her cauldron that would make a spectacular explosion. Instead, he noticed that her potion was completely wrong and made her drink it. Now she looked like and overgrown mandrake. She glared at her green hands, as if it would make them return to their normal colour.

It wasn't until half an hour later that the class filed out of the room and Severus handed her the antidote to the potion she had concocted.

"You didn't have to make me drink it." She told him as she slowly returned to her normal colour.

"Well, you were about to create a potion that would turn all of the paper in the room to ash. You had to learn you lesson." He told her with a hint of satisfaction in his voice. She shrugged.

"Eh. Guess so." She sighed. "So, detention at eight?" She asked, he raised his eyebrow.

"Why so late?" He replied.

"Quidditch training." She told him.

"See you at six." He told her walking towards the door and ushering her out.

"Severus!" She cried clenching her fists.

"Fine. Eight. Don't be late though." He said, she walked out of the door, poking her tongue at him as she passed.

* * *

Ginny caught the quaffle and sent it shooting through the goal posts at an extraordinary. Harry clapped and hooted and she flew down to the ground. He patted her on the back and the rest of the team touched down.

"That was spectacular. As you know the match is this Sunday, and I think we will wipe Slytherin off the pitch. But, don't get too complacent. We could always loose and drown in a pool of shame and despair." He said.

"Great motivational speech Harry." Ron mocked as he dismounted his broom, Ginny laughed. It was rather poetic for Harry, but she guessed that the upcoming game had been the subject of his musings for the past few weeks. The team walked into the change room talking about their tactics, and Harry was trying to find ways to improve them.

"Harry, we'll be fine. If you think about quidditch anymore I think you will start growing Firebolts out of your arse." Ginny told his jokingly, Harry shrugged and fell silent- tactics clearly still on his mind. Ginny took looked at her watch. _Shit_. It was already five past eight. She grabbed her bag out of her locker and raced towards the door.

"Where you going?" Ron called after.

"Detention." She yelled before running to the castle.

Ginny slowed down as she rounded the dungeon staircase. She took another look at her watch, pleased to see that she would only be about fifteen minutes late. She wasn't worried about Severus being angry, instead she was more concerned about missing out on time with him. She came to an abrupt stop as the platinum headed Draco Malfoy stepped in front of her.

"Where do you think you are going Weasley?" He snarled, Ginny rolled her eyes and made to step around him, only to be blocked by his tall and slender frame.

"Malfoy, get out of my way." She hissed, he raised his eyebrows.

"You do know that I am a prefect, so you are required to answer all of my question." Ginny sighed "So, where are you going weasel?"

"I am going to Wonderland to have a tea party with the mad hatter and the door mouse." Ginny said sarcastically, Draco looked confused.

"What the hell are you on about?" He asked, she rolled her eyes again.

"Look, I have detention, just get out of my way." She tried to step around him again, only to fail. He laughed.

"So, you just came from quidditch training then?" He drawled, she looked at her robes and shrugged.

"No, I just like wearing them. I think they are pretty." She stated in an indifferent tone, Malfoy glared at her.

"Stop giving me cheek you blood traitor." Draco yelled.

"Well get the fuck out of my way." She yelled throwing her bag on the floor and reaching for her wand. Draco whipped his wand out and they aimed them at each other menacingly.

"You know, no amount of training will save you from the shame of loosing to Slytherin on Sunday." Draco hissed softly.

"And no amount of bullying will free your father from Azkaban." Ginny hissed in return, Draco winced before raising his wand.

"What in Merlin's name is going on here?" A voice called from down the corridor, Severus walked up behind Draco who's wand was now tucked into his pocket securely. The blond turned around.

"This insolent sixth year was disobeying school rules." Malfoy snarled, Severus raised his eyebrows questioningly.

"What did she do Mr. Malfoy?" He asked.

"She refused to answer my questions." He snapped, Severus nodded thoughtfully.

"Weasley, you were meant to be in detention fifteen minutes ago. Five points off Gryffindor. Malfoy, go on with your duties." He said. Draco pushed past Ginny, elbowing her hard in the stomach.

"Your dead Weasley." He hissed in her ear as he passed. Ginny turned around, raising her wand at his retreating back but Severus forced her hand to her side. They turned and walked into the dungeon classroom, Severus shutting the door behind them. "What was that about?" He asked as he sat behind his desk.

"He wanted to know where I was going, and I told him he had detention but he wouldn't move out of my way. He asked if I came from training, called me a blood traitor. I told him that no amount of bullying would free his father from Azkaban and we took our wands out." Ginny recalled, heat rising into her face, Severus brought a hand up to her face and caressed her cheek softly.

"Despite what you may think Gin, it hasn't been too easy for him this past year." He whispered, Ginny glared at him.

"Yeah, so that gives him every right to stalk the halls and be a slimy git that terrorises innocent people." Severus looked at her sternly but she ignored him. "Speaking of slimy gits," she poked him in the ribs "You _professor_ making me drink that stinking potion today. And taking five points off Gryffindor." She poked him a second time and he shrugged.

"You look rather fetching in green," he drawled "and I didn't want Malfoy to get suspicious." Ginny walked over to him and straddled his lap, he looked at her warningly.

"I love you." She hissed planting her lips hard on his, he responded by pulling her body closer to his and kissing her fiercely. She pulled away from him after a few moments and pressed herself against him teasingly. "You know," She begun "I have always wanted to see the teacher's quarters." She whispered nuzzling his ear, he took her face in his hands and kissed her on the forehead.

"Well, I am afraid that will be impossible." He whispered, but kissed her passionately anyway.

"Why?" She asked, he smiled at her.

"If we were caught I could hardly explain the situation." He told her matter-of-factly, she frowned.

"Well we can't do anything here." She motioned to the room around her and Severus nodded in agreement.

"I guess we wont be doing _anything_ then." He kissed her softly.

"But I want you." She breathed into his ear, and caressing a part of his body that made him moan softly.

"You've become quiet the nymphomaniac." He whispered, she giggled.

"No -I just love the feeling of your arms wrapped around me." She hissed, he smiled and snaked his arms around her waist, she rested her head on his shoulder and kissed his neck.

"How was training?" He asked, taking in the smell of grass and sweat, she smiled.

"Good. Harry is confident that we will wipe Slytherin off the pitch." She said casually, Severus laughed.

"We'll have to wait and see, won't we?" He kissed her softly, wishing desperately that he could show her his private quarters.

* * *

Ginny tugged on her protective padding as she listened to the tense silence that had taken over the change room. It was five minutes before the final quidditch game of the year was due to start, and the butterflies in her stomach were fluttering around gleefully. She sat down and put her shoes on, tying the laces up tightly with secure double knots. Just as she finished she heard Harry clear his throat nervously, she looked up at him and when the team was paying attention to his he begun to talk.

"Okay. Well. This is it. The final game. Gryffindor verus Slytherin. Look guys, I am not going to lie. This will be hard. The Slytherin's bigger bastards on the field than they are off the field. This game is personal. I want you all to watch out carefully, I have no doubt this will be a dirty game. Peakes, Coote, I want you to play defensively. Don't worry about hitting the Slytherins, just make sure they don't hit us. Ovell, Robins, Ginny – score, just score. And keep your eyes open. And Ron," Harry turned to his friend and patted him on the shoulder "Ignore whatever those bastards say. You are an amazing keeper." Ron grinned his thanks. "Well, good luck guys." He said. The team cheered before walking on the pitch to the cheers of the entire school.

Severus watched the Gryffindor team as they walked on to the pitch. His heart fluttered when he saw Ginny, and he wished her the best of luck. He didn't care if Slytherin won, for all he cared they could sit on their brooms and twiddle their thumbs. The two teams mounted their brooms, the whistle screeched and the quaffle was thrown in the air.

"Nicely caught by Ovell, passed to Weasley, Weasley to Robins, ooh. Robins drops it, recovered by- hey! He can't do that. Slytherin beater Kipper hits the ball out of Ovell's hands, caught by Longsdale, he goes for the scoring area." Just before Longsdale enetered the Slytherin scoring area a mellow chant begun to boom from the Slytherin stands.

_Weasley is our king_

_He always lets the quaffle in_

_Weasley is our king_

He never catches a thing Severus watched as Ron clenched his face, keeping his eye on Longsdale who bullet passed to Jenkins who used his broom to whack the quaffle towards the hoops. Ron latched on to his broom with his hands and jumped and quickly kicked the quaffle away from the hoop. "Saved by Weasley. Gryffindor in possession. Weasley takes it, passes to Ovell, who passed to Robins who passes to Ovell who passes to… whoa… Sorry this is making me dizzy. Oh… you can see what is happened. One… Two…. WEASLEY SCORES TEN POINTS FOR GRYFFINDOR." Luna's voice sounded throughout the pitch accompanied by the cheers of the Gryffindor, Ravenclaw and Hufflepuffs. Severus smiled to himself and watched as Ginny high-fived her team mates. 

"You ought to watch yourself." Ginny heard, she whipped her broom around and saw Malfoy leering at her, she glared at him. "Don't get too cocky."

"Go touch yourself." Ginny yelled, Malfoy sped off and Ginny turned back to the game.

The game continued for half an hour and Luna Lovegood had great difficulty keeping up the commentary. The competition was fierce and at time it seemed as though the chasers were playing hot potato with the quaffle. Gryffindor had score three more times, Slytherin one. Ginny wiped sweat off her face and caught the quaffle passed to her by Robins. Ginny steered her broom towards the middle goal post, waiting for the other two chasers to go around to either side of the scoring area, ready to practise the move they had created. Ginny ignored Peakes and Coote as they were forced to fly beside her to protect her from constant bludger attacks.

Severus watched, fists clenched in anticipation. He was sure that he hadn't been this excited about a quidditch game since his own time at school when it looked as though James Potter was about to loose the game for Gryffindor. He watched as Ginny flew gracefully into the scoring area, ignoring the bludgers pelting towards her. His eyes followed the quaffle as it shot towards Ovell who grabbed the end of her broom and used the tail to hit it straight through the far right ring. the Slytherin Keeper missed the quaffle by an inch and almost fell of his broom as Robins, who was waiting behind the middle hoop, sent the brilliant red ball pelting through the middle ring, scoring a second consecutive goal. The crowd cheered as Ginny added the final touch and kicked the quaffle into the far left, and final, hoop. Severus had to refrain from cheering as Ginny turned triumphantly towards the centre of the pitch for the toss. A wave of shock rushed over him.

Ginny turned back to the middle of the pitch, grinning ear to ear, satisfied with the move she and her team mates had managed to pull off. She looked up to see the two Slytherin beaters racing towards her, bats raised. She froze for a second before ducking. The Slytherins anticipated her move and lowered their bats. Ginny felt a bone-smashing thud before she blacked out.

Severus jumped out of his seat as did all of the other people watching the game. Ginny's helpless body fell of the cleansweep and hurtled towards the ground, before he managed to whip his wand out Dumbledore had cast a spell to lessen the impact of Ginny's fall. Madam Hooch's whistle blew as Ginny's body collided with the grass, Severus doubted Dumbledore's spell helped too much. He jumped over the seats in front of him and raced down the stairs, heart beating rapidly. His mind raced, full of concern for his lover, the image of her body hitting the ground replaying in his memory. By the time he landed on the soft grass of the quidditch pith a group of students had already swarmed around the red-head's body.

"MOVE!" He yelled, pushing several students aside, and successfully clearing a path Ginny. Anger rose in his face as Harry sat by her side, shaking he shoulders softly. Harry turned to face him and then turned back to Ginny, pushing his arms under her feminine frame. Severus thrust him out of the way. "GET OUT OF THE WAY POTTER!" He hissed, placing his arms around Ginny and lifting her off the ground with ease.

"What are you doing?" Harry yelled.

"Shut up Potter." He put an arm around Ginny's shoulders to support her neck and jogged towards the castle.

As the castle door slammed shut behind Severus he looked around to make sure no one was nearby, he brushed some hair off Ginny's face and kissed her on the forehead.

"I love you." He whispered loving, taking the steps two at a time. He cradled his body closer to his own and looked down at his beloved Ginevra. Two trails of blood were streaming down her face, one from her cheek and one from her temple, where the beater's bats would have collided with her porcelain skin. Purple bruised were already beginning to form all over her arms and neck and Severus ran his hands over her ribs, he had no doubt that some were broken. Anger boiled through him as his mind replayed the moment where the beaters attacked her. He held her tighter and sped up, eager to take her to Madam Pomfrey.

"Severus… Oh Merlin!" Cried Madam Pomfrey as Severus burst through the doors of the hospital wing. She quickly threw back the covers on the nearest bed and rushed off to her medicine storeroom. Severus laid Ginny on the bed carefully and pulled the covers over her. Poppy bustled back into the room. "Remove her robes!" She ordered, Severus glared at her.

"Poppy, I hardly think…"

"Horseshit. This is no time for formalities Severus." She interrupted; Severus complied and unbuttoned Ginny's quidditch robes with trembling features. The white pillowcase was already turning red with the blood pouring from the scars on Ginny's face. Madam Pomfrey pulled Ginny's top of Ginny's robes apart, revealing Ginny's white singlet top. She lifted it up to reveal Ginny's stomach and chest, which had turned the deepest shade of purple imaginable, Severus bit his lip as he looked down at Ginny's body, battered and bruised. He wished he could hold her. After a few moments Poppy had the bleeding on Ginny's face controlled and stopped the bruising from spreading any further. She looked up at Severus' concerned face.

"You can go now. I have the situation under control." She told him coolly, Severus nodded soberly and turned to leave.

Severus returned the quidditch pitch just in time to see Potter snatch the snitch from right in front of Malfoy's nose. A small amount of relief slipped through his mind, knowing that Ginny would be happy that her fall had not cost the game. Students flooded onto the pitch and Severus noticed the Slytherin team retreat to their change room.

"Your team does not serve your house reputation well Severus." McGonagall tutted as she left the stands, Severus sat in his seat for a moment before heading for the change rooms.

* * *

Severus stormed into the Slytherin change rooms to see the boys sitting on the benches and yelling at each other angrily. They stopped yelling as soon as they saw him.

"What the hell did you think you were doing?" He shouted rounding on the beaters. They glared back at him. "Do you have any idea what you did? Weasley has three broken ribs, a fractured jaw, concussion and severe bruising. She could have died. Do you fools have any idea what you have done?" There was silence "DO YOU?" He yelled. The two beaters shrugged.

"That smarmy little git deserved all she got." Macintyre hissed, Severus' brain exploded inside his skull and he hovered over the fifth year menacingly.

"JUST BECAUSE THE GRYFFINDOR TEAM BESTED YOU ON THE PITCH, DOESN'T MEAN YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO ABUSE THEIR PLAYERS! DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME?" Severus yelled, the boy looked undeterred.

"Anyone would think you actually cared." He hissed with a dismissive wave.

"I DO CARE." Severus spat, the Slytherin team snapped to attention, glaring at their head of house. _Shit_, Severus thought. "Do you know what this does to the house reputation?" The boys narrowed their eyes. "Do you want your house to have a reputation for being jealous, ungracious bastards?" He asked "DO YOU?"

"I thought we already did." Draco whispered, the room erupted in laughter.

"SILENCE!" Severus yelled, he pulled Macintyre and his fellow beater Petrovic to their feet. "Pack your trunks. You are suspended." He hissed, their eyes widened as Malfoy made an angry noise from behind them, Severus turned to him. "Malfoy, I have no doubt that you encouraged this despicable behaviour, you have detention for the rest of the term, and I assure you, you will be scrubbing grime and mould off the dungeon floor _every single night_. And as for the rest of you, you are banned from any school outing for the next two months." The boys looked at each other in anger and Severus turned and left the room.

"Get over it. Weasley is a fucking whore anyway." Draco yelled after Severus, Severus stopped and turned around slowly, anger pouring through every crevice of his body. His fingers itched to wrap around the wand in his pocket and curse the insolent little bastard.

"Malfoy, I can only hope that the torture that Potter and Weasley bestow you with allows you to live long enough for you to learn to watch your filthy mouth." He hissed before turning to leave the room, resisting the overwhelming temptation to break every bone in Draco's body.

* * *

It was not until two nights later that Ginny roused in her slumber, head aching and pain pounding in her ribs. Her memory flashed and she saw Macintyre and Petrovic heading towards her, bats raised. She winced in pain as she remembered the collision. Her eyes fluttered open and were met with darkness and a vague figure leaning over her. A hand came down to caress her face softly, and a calming _hush_ was cooed. She squinted through the darkness.

"Severus?" She whispered, the hand on her cheek froze.

"What?" Came a familiar voice. The lamp on her bedside table switched on and light stung her eyes, she peered through the brightness to see Harry Potter looking down at her questioningly.

* * *

A/N: Yay! Chapter 15 done! Wahoo dances and sings on top of monitor. Yet again, I am sorry for the delay, but here is a long and spanky chapter for you all. What will happen next, eh? Well, you should find out soon-ish. I plan to have another chapter written within the next few days, as I have a five days left until my last exam. Seven down, one to go! I am so happy dances again.

I would like to thank you all ever so much for your review, they are lovely. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, because I have been planning the Slytherin-Gryffindor match since the second chapter, it is one of those little bits of the plot that I have refused to let go of. Anywho, thanks again!

**Kime**…. Hehehe… sorry dear, but you will have to wait to find out if anybody will die. For now, just relax and enjoy the story! Love ya! Oh, and by the way, that cookie sounds pretty promising, what flavor?

**Maddudewalking….** LOL, no your not a wacko, I get just as crazy in my reviews. I know what it's like to sit on the computer and have to wait for a chapter, so I am REALLY sorry that I have done that to ya, but I hope this makes up for it. Thanks for wishing me luck, I don't think my results should be too bad. I think I will scrape by with a fail, which is better than a miserable fail. LOL, I try to keep my expectations low so when I get my results back I will be overjoyed that I got 15 instead of 7.

**Mistress of Eternity…. **Thanks for wishing me luck on my N.E.W.T.S, I only have one out of eight left so I am ecstatic! Thanks for being patient! The next chapter wont be too long now, (I have already started it )

**Anglic Bladez…. **Here you are! Another chapter, I hope you like it cause I think it is one of my favorites so far. It is a bit more up-beat than the last few, so I hope the chage of pace suits your taste!

**Emily Grace Potter…. **A bit more fluff for you, and a longer chapter, but I assure you there is more to come. Thanks for your reviews and opinions, I value them deeply.

**Nyah1….** Thanks. You know, before I wrote this story I wasn't too keen on Snape and Ginny as a couple, I had read one or two SS/GW fics and liked them, but after writing one I can see why people like them together. They are such a fun couple to write about.

**Krista….** A chapter for you my dear, please don't die. And unlike some other stories that I have abandoned I know I will keep this one going. (and the ones I have abandoned will be continued when I finish school… at least, I hope they will). Hehehe, thanks for your review!

**Lollylover…** A nice long update for you – enjoy! Thanks for your review!

**HarryGinnyfan32**…. Thanks for the wish of luck and the encouraging comments!

**Angelique Collins…** Okay, your story is added to my C2, if you know any other to add feel free to tell me about them. And, as for your story- I love it! Thanks for your review!

**sOmEtHiNg – L1k3 – LAuGhTeR…. **Wow, I had to copy and past your name into here , hehehe. Thanks for wishing me luck, it is deeply appreciated. Good luck with your own tests. I wish the teachers here would let me forget what HSC means, but all I ever hear is HSC this and HSC this, with a strong hidden message of _'If you fail the HSC then you will fail life. You will be miserable gutter-lickers who sell your toenails for a living.'_. Gee teachers, thanks for the stress relief! Well, good luck anyway!

I want to change the story summary and I can't think of anything, anyone have any ideas? Or should I just leave it? What do you think?

Love,

Sinister Spiders 

XOXOXO

P.S. If you noticed that the name of the third chaser changed from Bell to Ovell please don't be too harsh on me. I realised that Katie Bell would well and truly have left the school and, consequently, the team. I have not had time to change this in the previous chapters, but I will do it as soon as I have finished my exams, gone to my formal, and cleaned my room! Grin


	16. No One Else

Warning: This chapter contains some content not suitable for people under sixteen.

The Midnight Hour

**CHAPTER SIXTEEN:** No One Else

_Her eyes fluttered open and were met with darkness and a vague figure leaning over her. A hand came down to caress her face softly, and a calming hush was cooed. She squinted through the darkness._

"_Severus?" She whispered, the hand on her cheek froze._

"What?" Came a familiar voice. The lamp on her bedside table switched on and light stung her eyes, she peered through the brightness to see Harry Potter looking down at her questioningly.

Ginny froze as her chocolate eyes met emerald. Harry continued to look at her, and she felt as though she had to answer him soon before he got any ideas. Her head pounded as she tried to find a solution, but her brain wouldn't allow her to.

"Harry…" she croaked "I…." He put a finger to her lips and smiled sympathetically.

"It's okay Ginny." He whispered "Professor Snape carried you up here. But I am with you now." He placed a hand lovingly on her shoulder and she tried to sit up, only to fall back on her pillow helplessly.

"What happened?" She muttered Harry smiled at her.

"Macintyre and Petrovic hit you and you fell off your broom. You fell a good distance too. I am surprised you look as good as you do. But, then again, you always look good." He said with a laugh, Ginny frowned.

"Snape carried me?" She asked, Harry nodded.

"Sorry, I was about to pick you up but he pushed me out of the way." Harry spat bitterly. Ginny's heart skipped a beat as she imagined Severus carrying her through the castle.

"S'ok…. The game?" She asked, Harry grinned and lifted the quidditch trophy from beside the bed, Ginny managed a smile.

"I caught the snitch from under Malfoy's nose. That bastard never learns. We won two hundred and sixty to forty." Ginny laughed "Ovell and Robins played a mean game after your fall." Harry grinned, pleased.

"How long have I been asleep?" she asked, Harry smiled and brushed her cheek

"Two days." He told her, she tried to furrow her eyebrows, but it hurt too much.

"Ron has already tried to murder Macintyre and Petrovic." Harry laughed.

"You helped." Hazel said as she walked up behind Harry, Ginny smiled at her friend.

"Harry, Pomfrey says you need to get some sleep." Hazel said, Harry nodded and left slowly, Hazel took his seat.

"How long has he been here?" Ginny asked Hazel shrugged.

"I don't know exactly, but every time I have come in he has been here." Hazel laughed. "He like you heaps." Ginny decided not to grace that comment with an answer.

"Severus?" She asked, Hazel gagged.

"Snape, you mean?" Hazel laughed "I haven't seen him here, but I know he brought you up here. He pushed Harry out of the way to get to you. He looked angrier than he did that time in third year when you set his robes on fire by _accident_." Ginny gave her friend an awkward smile as Hazel leant closer to her. "Really Ginny, I don't think he could risk coming here too often, think about how suspicious it would look. And him carrying you up here was bad enough, a few people have even commented on it." Hazel rubbed her friends arm and Ginny looked away. Madam Pomfrey bustled over and took out her wand, casting numerous spells and checking Ginny's temperature.

"How are you feeling dear?" Madam Pomfrey asked, Ginny shrugged.

"Eh. Alright." She replied, Madam Pomfrey smiled at her.

"It is lucky Professor Snape got you up here as quickly as you did." She told her "You should be right to return to classes in a few days." Ginny nodded and the medi-witch walked over to another patient.

"Ron and Harry were so pissed off after the match, Gin." Hazel laughed "They were about to murder Malfoy - and the rest of the Slytherin team, but McGonagall stepped in and told them not to lower themselves." Ginny laughed.

"Have you seen them around lately?" Ginny asked, telling herself that she would plan her revenge when she felt better.

"I think Snape suspended Macintyre and Petrovic, well, at least that it what people are saying. A lot of people are surprised that he got so angry. And apparently, after the game, he went into the change room and told them off. I think that he pretended it was because of house reputation." Hazel said, Ginny nodded and yawned, a searing pain shot through her jaw and she brought her hand up to rub it. "It was broken, as well as some of your ribs and you had a concussion as well. Not the mention the shiners all over you!" Hazel grinned.

Ginny looked around the room, there was only one other person there with her, and by the looks of it they were only faking sickness. After five minutes Madam Pomfrey walked back over to Ginny and Hazel and told Hazel to go to her dormitory and let Ginny get some rest.

"Hazel, are you coming back tomorrow?" Ginny asked, Hazel nodded. "When you do can you please bring me a book to read and the silver compact container in the bottom of my trunk?"

"Make-up Ginny?" Hazel rolled her eyes before turning and leaving the room.

Madam Pomfrey put out the light on Ginny's table and walked away, drawing the curtains around her bed. Ginny turned her head to the side and closed her eyes drifting into a peaceful sleep.

…………………………………………………………………………………………..

Ginny smiled stirred in her sleep when she felt someone clasp her hand. She opened her eyes slowly and looked around. She couldn't see anyone and but knew for a fact that something had a hold of her hand.

"Who is there?" she whispered, a finger was put against her lips.

"Harry?" She whispered.

"What?" She heard Severus' voice and silently cursed herself.

"Harry came by earlier tonight and did the exact same thing. Sorry." She squinted through the darkness hoping to see Severus. "Where are you?" She whispered.

"Next to the bed." He replied softly, she smiled.

"Why can't I see you?" She inquired. Severus gave a quiet laugh.

"I am under the effect of an invisibility potion." He explained caressing her face carefully; she managed a smile.

"Thankyou for bringing me here."

"No problem, my love." He hissed, she could tell his face was inches from hers. After a few charged seconds his invisible lips collided with hers and they kissed passionately. When he pulled away from her she smiled.

"It is interesting kissing an invisible man." She giggled; he smoothed her hair down and kissed her forehead.

"It is good to see you awake." He hissed into her ear as he planted a kiss on her cheek. "You've been out for a while. Two days. I have to say I was pretty worried."

"Oh, please Severus, you can not get rid of me that easily." She lifted her hand to find his cheek and cupped it lovingly. "I hear Slytherin lost miserably." She mocked.

"They deserved to." Severus said, voice firm. "I suspended Macintyre and Petrovic. Malfoy has detention for a very long time and the others are banned from Hogsmede visits." Ginny whistled.

"Pretty tough penalties my dear." She cooed, Severus shrugged his invisible shoulders and tried to keep his anger from rising again.

"They have to learn that just because they are being beaten they don't have to resort to violence. It is not good for the house reputation." He said, Ginny smiled.

"Oh, so it wasn't anything personal then?" She scoffed.

"Well, maybe just a wee bit." He said before kissing her again. Ginny closed her eyes and let the warmth of his lips kiss away her pain. He wrapped his arms around her and she winced as he nudged one of her still tender ribs. "I love you."

…………………………………………………………………………………………..

The next day at lunch time Hazel, Harry, Ron and Hermione walked into the hospital wing, Ginny was happy to have some company, and the items which she had asked Hazel to bring.

"How have you been feeling sis?" Ron asked.

"Not too bad ickle Ronniekins, yourself?" He blushed at the named but smiled nonetheless.

"Not too bad. Have a tonne of homework though, Snape's been in a foul mood lately." Ron laughed.

"Yeah," Harry added "I think he has finally had it with Slytherin antics. He actually took some points of his own house yesterday." Hermione grinned.

"Here." Hazel handed her a small bag containing a novel and her compact.

"Thanks bud." Ginny said, leaning over to put it in her bedside table draw. "So, have I missed much?" Ginny asked.

"Well, you've got quiet a bit of work to catch up on." Hazel said with a frown.

"And you missed one hell of a party after the match." Ron said pulling Hermione to his side, Ginny rolled her eyes, not wanting to know how the party was for Ron.

"Felicity is back. She wanted me to tell you that she is sorry she hasn't come to see you yet, but she doesn't feel like going near a hospital bed." Hazel laughed.

"Apart from that nothing has happened." Harry said, rolling his eyes at his two friends so only Ginny could see.

"So. That's it. That was you last ever school quidditch game Harry, how does it feel?" Ginny asked. Harry shrugged.

"Eh, alright. I think McGonagall is tossing up who to choose as team captain next year. I'll put a good word in for you." Harry said with a grin making Ginny laugh.

"Thanks Harry, I'd appreciate it." Hermione looked at her watch.

"Oh, we'd best be off. We have to meet Du-" she stopped remembering Hazel's presence "McGonagall." She tugged on Harry's robes and they left the room. Hazel sat on the edge of Ginny's bed and looked at her.

"Severus came by last night." Ginny told her friend with a smile, Hazel looked confused.

"I thought that the hospital wing closed at eight." She said Ginny shrugged her response.

"He has his ways. He did suspend Macintyre and Petrovic. Malfoy apparently has detentions as well. Imagine that, hey? Daddy's boy scrubbing dungeon floors. We should get Colin to take a photo." Hazel's face soured at the mention of Colin's name. "Everything alright in paradise?" Ginny asked. Hazel shrugged.

"Yeah… well, no. We had an argument. Nothing big, I just don't want to talk about him right now." Ginny nodded and poked her friend in the ribs.

"What has potions class been like without me?" Ginny asked.

"Ron was right." Hazel stated evenly "Snape has been a bit shirty since the game. I think people are choosing to see it as him being annoyed with the Slytherin team. You know Kyrrin? Yeah, well she said that he was just annoyed because his pet student was knocked out. The little tramp got detention." Hazel grinned from ear to ear and Ginny wished that she hadn't fallen off her broom.

"This has drawn quiet a bit of attention I guess." Ginny said, Hazel nodded, and Ginny looked at the window by her bed. "I don't know how much longer we can hide it." Ginny whispered, Hazel put her hand on her friend's shoulder.

"Just a little over a year longer, Gin, then you will be out of school." Hazel said. Ginny sighed.

…………………………………………………………………………………………..

Three days later Ginny was free to leave the hospital wing. With quiet a few bruises and some occasional discomfort she was glad to be going. She welcomed the sight of her dormitory more than ever and revelled in the fact that Madam Pomfrey had forbidden her from doing homework, to ease the stress of returning back to school life. It was to her relief that by the time she was released, the school had begun to get over what happened at the match. That was old news now. She looked forward to the potions lesson she had scheduled first thing in the morning as she laid back on her bed. She fell into a restful sleep.

…………………………………………………………………………………………..

Ginny woke in the morning to the sound of frantic discussion in her dormitory. She opened her eyes and looked around to see her dorm-mates huddled in the middle of the room around something, most likely their topic of debate.

"Hey, what's going on?" She asked, Hazel turned to her and held up a copy of the Daily Prophet. Ginny jumped out of bed and walked over to Hazel, taking the paper out of her hand. She gasped as she read the headline.

_Indonesia Attacked by Dark Lord_.

"When did you get this?" Ginny asked, she begun to read the paper as Hazel told her that Ginny's owl dropped it on Hazel's bed earlier that morning.

"I think that my mum sent it." Ginny said. A group of Death Eaters had attacked a magical market in Jakarta, killing thirty-five people. As Ginny read a few words became highlighted. She looked up at Hazel, who was reading over her shoulder, to see if she saw it too. She didn't.

"_The recent attack on Jakarta, in Indonesia, presumably an **order** of he who must not be named, remains one **of **the most prolific massacres in **the** past twenty years._

_ 'We shall rise from the ashes of this disaster like a **phoenix**.' Stated the brave minister of magic, Kim Sudiyoko. The Ministry of Magic in Jakarta has now become the **headquarters** for the fight against the so-named 'Dark Army' for Indonesia. The country has formed **nine** separate departments, each specialising in separate areas of magic. The department now had over a hundred and **thirty**__aurors under it's employment and are sure that they will be able to handle another attack if need be. _

_An international summit will be held this **Tuesday**, where all of the leaders of magical ministries will come together to discuss the rise of the Dark Lord. All magical folk are **ask**ed to remain calm under the **s**tr**e**ss of the recent attacks. In this time of darkness people are ad**v**is**e**d to be **r**esponsible and sensible. It is important that a normal lifestyle is maintained, even **u**nder pre**s**ent conditions."_

Ginny looked over the article once more, her mind piecing together the highlighted words and letters._ **Order of the Phoenix headquarters nine thirty Tuesday ask Severus. **_She understood immediately. She rolled the paper up and stood up, her friends looking at her questioningly.

"Ginny?" Hazel asked cautiously.

"I have to go and show Ron." She said towards her bedside table, she opened the draw and took the compact out of it before leaving the room. Halfway down the stairs she stopped to look around, and when she was sure she was alone she opened the mirror and called for Severus. Sure enough he appeared a split second later.

"Come to dungeon classroom six." He told her before disappearing, she snapped the mirror shut before jogging the rest of the way.

Slightly out of breath Ginny stopped outside dungeon six. In all of her time at Hogwarts she had only ever been in there once, and only to clean it. The room was largely abandoned, but it was apparently only used for one potion that was taught to students in the seventh year. She pushed the door open to see Snape, McGonagall, Ron, Harry and Hermione sitting in the middle of the room. There was one vacant seat which she walked over to.

"Sit, Ginevra." McGonagall commanded, Ginny nodded and did as she was told. "Now that you are all here, Professor Snape and myself are sure that you have received news of the attacks in Jakarta. As you know, this is the second attack of this calibre in the southern hemisphere. It has become evident that the war has truly begun." The four students looked at each other mournfully, and Ginny avoided Severus' eyes.

"As you should have figured out," Severus drawled, Ginny's heart beat faster at the sound of his voice "there will be a meeting about the recent attacks at the Headquarters of the Order of the Pheonix at nine-thirty on Tuesday night." His eyes scanned over the students. "Your parents," He begun, looking at Ron and Ginny "have requested that you all attend. You will all meet Professor McGonagall, Professor Dumbledore and myself at Hagrid's hut at nine on Tuesday evening." He looked at Harry. "I am sure you have no problem sneaking around, but I do urge you not to get caught."

"That's right. We also expect you to keep the rendezvous secret, and we also want you to remember that you are not to talk about the Order of the Pheonix in anyway." Ginny looked at the strict professor who smiled at her, and the other students. "You are dismissed." Ginny looked at Severus, his eyes flickered with recognition. Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ginny stood and walked out of the room.

"You alright Gin?" Ron asked, Ginny shrugged.

"I guess so." She replied, Harry wrapped his arm around her shoulders comfortingly. She patted his hand. "I'm right, thanks Harry." She said before shrugging him off, he smiled sadly to himself.

…………………………………………………………………………………………..

Half an hour later Ginny was sitting at the breakfast table with her friends, a subdued mood filled the Great Hall, it was filled with the sound of morbid whispers instead of cheerful laughing. Ginny had no doubt that some of the students were related to victims of the attacks, and Felicity looked terrified, having lived through a similar attack herself. Just as she picked up a piece of toast a letter dropped onto her plate. She bit the toast and freed her hands to open the letter. '_My office, seven_', it was Severus writing. Ginny smiled to herself and scrunched the paper up before putting it into her pocket.

"Who was that from?" Hazel asked.

"Fred and George… it was a joke." Ginny said, Hazel looked at her questioningly, Ginny sighed before reciting a joke they had told her years ago. "Two peanuts were walking down the street. One was assaulted." Hazel rolled her eyes and gave a small laugh before turning her attentions back to her breakfast.

…………………………………………………………………………………………..

Ginny knocked on Severus' office door.

"Enter." Came his muffled voice, she pushed the door open and his eyes raised to meet hers, he greeted her with a smile and motioned for her to take a seat.

"How are you my love muffin?" She asked, he smiled and put his hands on the desk for her to hold.

"I asked you here to tell you something rather serious." He said, Ginny frowned and clasped his hands. "It was going to be discussed on Tuesday evening, but everyone else knows… you, on the other hand, don't. I wanted to tell you before Tuesday so you could be prepared." Ginny nodded and bit her lip, bracing herself for what ever was to come. "Questions have been raised as to your brother's, Percy's, allegiance." Ginny gasped. As much of a bastard as Percy was, she would never have thought that he would be evil, seduced by the dark side.

"But…" Ginny begun, but words failed her. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, Severus brought a hand up to caress her cheek.

"I haven't been able to confirm it yet, but there have been rumours that he has pledged his life to the Dark Lord." A tear escaped Ginny's eye and she shook her head defiantly. Severus rose out of his seat and walked around his desk to stand beside her, embracing her softly. "My love, war makes people do strange things. I should know. We are not sure about Percy yet, but we will soon find out. People can easily be seduced by the promise of refuge, I am sure that, if he has turned, it is the only reason." Ginny shook her head, angrily now.

"He was always drawn to power." She hissed "He is a selfish bastard, only concerned about his own well being." She said, Severus squatted down, and looked into her eyes. Ginny hiccuped and turned away from him. "Don't tell me." She croaked, he grabbed her face in his hands and turned her to look at his, she refused to meet his eyes.

"We still have to find out." He whispered, he kissed her on the lips softly. "Dumbledore has asked me to do it." Ginny's tears begun to flow more freely, she shook her head.

"You cant!" She said firmly "You have already gone once. Let someone else do it." It was Severus' turn to shake his head.

"There is no one else." He told her, she leapt out of her seat and into his arms. "This wont be the end. Two days, maximum. I will be back before you notice I have gone." Ginny sobbed into his robes.

"You could get hurt." She whispered, scared. He kissed her forehead.

"We need to know." He explained softly. She threw her arms into the air.

"Who cares? If that selfish arsehole wants to join the dark side let him! Please Severus, don't do this to me again." She gripped his shoulders tightly and he leant forward, kissing her again.

"I have to." He replied, her tense body loosened and she sunk to the floor. "It is important that I go my love. I go out of necessity, not choice. I wish nothing more than to be here with you. I wish that I could spend every waking moment with my arms wrapped around you. I promise I will return." He brought her head onto his lap and stroked her hair lovingly, she cried.

…………………………………………………………………………………………..

Ginny sat at the table in the drawing room of Grimmauld Place soberly. The members of the order were seated around the magically extended table as well. It was the first time that she had ever been to one of their meetings. Her mother was sitting directly across from her, eyes hollow and distant. Dumbledore cleared his throat.

"I welcome you all here tonight, on this rather dark night. We are gathered here to discuss the recent string of attacks in the southern hemisphere, and the fate of some of our beloved friends and family." His eyes rested upon Molly. "I want you all to remember that we have, in our company, young Ginevra Weasley, so I do not wish to discuss anything more than what I have outlined." He smiled at Ginny, she looked away and her eyes fell on Fred and George, who looked more serious than she had ever seen them before. Dumbledore continued to talk about the attacks on Australia and Indonesia, and Ginny was made more aware of the war. She had not realised that it was so serious and widespread. Dumbledore talked about the inflating number of Death Eaters worldwide, the number in Europe alone had tripled.

Severus sat beside Dumbledore, watching Ginny, feeling sorry for his lover. He could not imagine the thoughts running through her mind right now. It was a lot of information for someone so young and innocent. But, he knew for a fact that she was much more mature than he gave her credit. He caught her eyes and she managed a weak smile. His heart ached at the thought of leaving her. His new mission required him to go to Malfoy Manor, the headquarters of the Death Eaters, to figure out who the new Death Eaters were, and to discover whether Percy Weasley was one of them. He was sure that Percy held much valuable information about the Weasley family, and their relationship with Albus Dumbledore that Voldemort would find incredibly useful. He had no desire to go on the mission, but knew it to be of critical importance.

He sat listening to Albus talk for half an hour longer before he heard his own name thrown into the conversation.

"As most of you are aware, I have asked Severus to go undercover again to gain information on the newest additions to the death eater family, in order to maintain our security. He will be leaving on late tomorrow evening and returning sometime on Friday. I ask you to keep this mission a secret, but I have told you so that you are aware of the seriousness of our situation. Now, more than ever, it is important to maintain secrecy about the order, we never know who hides ill motives. I am hoping that this mission, however, will shed some light upon the extent of the Death Eater recruitment and the safety of the order." He looked around and smiled "You all look tired. I urge you to get some sleep." His eyes twinkled their mysterious blue and the members filed into the corridor. Severus stayed behind.

"When will we return to Hogwarts?" He asked the headmaster, Dumbledore shook his head. "You are all much to tired to take that trip this evening, there is plenty of room here. You and the students will be staying here, Minerva and myself will return to Hogwarts and gather all you need for your departure tomorrow. Sleep well Severus.' Dumbledore said before rising, Severus followed cue and they walked out of the room together.

Ginny sat on her bed and brushed her hair. She looked around the dull room and let out a sigh. There was a quiet knock on her door and her mother opened it.

"Ginny dear… how are you?" asked the older Weasley. Ginny smiled at her mother.

"I'm fine thankyou." Molly was about to reply but was interrupted by Severus, Ginny listened carefully to their conversation.

"You can stay in that room, third door to the right." Molly told Severus "The bed is made, and there is a bathroom just down the hall."

"Thankyou Molly." He said quietly before walking out of Ginny's sight.

"So, are you sure you are alright sweetheart?" Molly asked, Ginny nodded and blew her mother a kiss.

"Just tired thanks mum." She told her before settling down in her bed. The door was shut and closed her eyes.

Half an hour later Ginny rose out of bed and slid her feet into her slippers. She crept over to the door and opened it the tiniest amount, with just enough room to look into the corridor. It was empty. She stepped outside, shutting the door quietly behind her. When she was in the hall she followed the directions her mother gave Severus. When she reached the third door on the right she opened it slowly, hoping not to alarm Severus. She opened it just enough to slide through and then shut it behind her.

"Who's there?" Severus hissed, she could vaguely see his figure, wand pointed at her.

"You don't want to curse me." She whispered back, when her eyes had better adjusted to the dark she walk over to him and kissed him.

"What are you doing here?" He asked quietly, she kissed him again.

"I wanted to see you." She said as though it was obvious. Severus shook his head.

"You shouldn't of come, I don't think it would look good if you were caught in my room." She took his wand and pointed it towards he door muttering a spell, the door clicked, it was now locked. She pointed his wand to the roof.

"Silencio." She put his wand on the bedside table and kissed him passionately. He pulled away from her and cupped her face.

"We shouldn't do this here." He breathed into her ear, hot words tickling her temptingly.

"I don't care. I want to spend some time with you before you leave." She hissed, walking him back to the bed, and then kissing him. "I love you." She said and he kissed her and wrapped his arms around her. As his hands explored her magnificent body he lowered her onto his bed. Her hands worked at unbuttoning his robes. He pulled away from her and lifted her shirt over her head before kissing her furiously. As they kissed, they slowly removed each other's clothes until Severus found his body on top of Ginny's, energized, eager to claim her as his own. As he lowered himself into her he hoped that this would not be the last time they made love.

…………………………………………………………………………………………..

Ginny opened her eyes and looked around the room. Luckily, it was still very early in the morning, she would have time to get back to her own room before they were due to depart. She got out of bed, making sure not to wake Severus, and begun to gather her clothes, putting them on as she would find them. When she was properly dressed she turned to face Severus, she leant down and kissed him on the cheek before walking out of the room. She peered out of the room carefully and looked up and down the corridor, glad that no one was around. She stepped out of the room and shut the door behind her. Just as she had reached her own door she heard footsteps and looked up to see Harry.

"Heya Ginny!" He whispered with a small wave, she smiled back at him. "What are you doing up so early?" He asked her.

"Uh. Toilet… You?" She stammered, she was too tired to think up a proper response. He grinned.

"Can't sleep. Thought I would try and walk it off." He shrugged "Would you like to walk with me for a while?" Ginny shook her head.

"Thanks for the offer Harry, but I am too tired." She yawned, Harry nodded, and Ginny escaped into her room. Once she had shut the door she leant against it and thanked Merlin for her luck. _That was a close one_.

It felt as though Ginny had only just closed her eyes when her mother tapped on her door, telling her to wake up. Ginny got up and had a shower, which washed most of her grogginess away. She got into her school uniform, gathered a few belongings and walked out of her room. When she walked into the hall the bathroom door swung open and Severus stepped out. She gave him a sweet smile, which he returned before going back into his room. Ginny frowned and headed for the hall.

…………………………………………………………………………………………..

Late that afternoon Ginny sat in the Gryffindor common room reading a novel that Hermione had given her. It wasn't terribly interesting, but it took her mind off the fact that she was not able to say goodbye to Severus. Hazel and Colin had just resolved what ever it was that they had argued about, and consequently, were snogging each other's brains out. Ron and Hermione were nowhere to be seen and Harry just stepped into the portrait hole. He spotted Ginny and walked straight towards her, she tried to look preoccupied with her book, but she wanted nothing more than someone to talk to.

"How are you doing?" Harry asked her, Ginny shrugged.

"Not too bad, thanks. Yourself?" Harry rolled his eyes.

"Disgusted. Hermione and Ron cant keep their hands off each other today. It isn't a pretty sight." He looked around to see no one was listening to their conversation. "I am sure things with Percy will be alright." He said, Ginny slammed her book shut.

"I don't care about him anymore. He can do whatever the hell he likes as long as he leaves the rest of the family out of it." She said although Harry didn't look convinced, and Ginny didn't completely believe herself either.

"Well, as soon as I hear and news at all I will tell you." He said.

"Thanks Potter."

"Potter?" Harry laughed.

"Yeah. Haven't called you that before. I think I'll stick to Harry though." Ginny said.

"Ok. Feel free. Only Slytherins and teachers call me Potter." He laughed, Ginny smiled.

"Harry, I don't think that I said thankyou for staying with me when I was in the hospital wing. Hazel told me you were there a lot. So, thanks." Ginny said. Harry smiled and looked into her eyes.

"It was no problem, really." He waved his hand dismissively. "I still like you." He added as an afterthought, Ginny tried not to look to shocked about the sudden confession. "I hated seeing you hurt in the hospital wing." He inched closer to her, his breathing became erratic.

"Well, thanks again." Ginny said loudly, sitting back in her chair. It was now Harry's turn to look shocked, or rather, embarrassed.

"Ginny." He said scratching the back of his neck awkwardly. "Don't get annoyed at my asking this, but, are you going out with anyone?" He asked, hoping to find an end to the confusion. Ginny wished nothing more than to be able to tell him of her love affair with the potions master, she wanted to tell every one, get it off her chest.

"No." She lied. Harry looked away from her. "I just… At the moment I don't think I could deal with a relationship. I have enough to worry about." She said. "And so do you Harry, you have even more to worry about than I do. You have the N.E.W.T.S and Merlin knows what else. I just couldn't fathom starting a relationship with the wizarding world the way it is now." She added, he shrugged and looked at his watch.

"Oh, sorry." He stood up quickly "I have a meeting with… er, Hagrid. Yeah. So, I have to go and meet him now. Well…. Bye." He walked out of the common room briskly and Ginny shut her eyes. It just kept getting harder.

…………………………………………………………………………………………..

Ginny sat in her potions lesson, which was taken over by Professor McGonagall. Every time she looked to the front of the room she expected to see Severus, but when she spotted McGonagall's deep emerald robes she couldn't help but let out a disappointed sigh.

"He's sick Ginny, that's all. Maybe you could sneak out to see him." Hazel said dropping some grass roots into her potion. Ginny shrugged. "He'll be fine. Don't worry so much." Ginny nodded and put more effort into chopping slicing her ginger.

…………………………………………………………………………………………..

Severus walked into the dining room, ready to take a meal with the death eaters. There were about thirty other people in the room seated at the table, most of which were the newer members, members of the outer circle. Lord Voldemort was seated at the head of the table, and either side of his was Narcissa and Lucius Malfoy. He took the last remaining seat and Voldemort cleared his throat, a dark, raspy echo filled the elaborate room.

"I welcome my newest servants to the table of two of my longest serving Death Eaters. I am sure you will serve me well, and do your duties according to my wishes." Voldemort hissed, Severus looked at the degenerated man, wishing him to shrivel up and turn into ash. Voldemort tapped a single, spindly finger on the table and food filled the plates. Severus looked down at what seemed to be a magnificent roast dinner. He picked up his fork and begun to eat slowly. He took a look around at the occupants of the table. He didn't recognize any of the people except for two. His stomach dropped when he saw the flaming red Weasley hair that he had come to cherish, but only, it was Percy's – not Ginny's. Seated to the right of Percy was the striking woman he had met at Hogwarts when she was a student at Beauxbatons. Fluer's long golden hair was tied neatly at the nape of her neck, as she ate and talked to Percy. Severus was sure that she and Bill Weasley had a relationship, but by the look of things, she had a secret affair with the disgraced Weasley. It pained him to see such innocent people serving Voldemort. As he chewed on a crispy potato he dreaded having to tell Ginny that one of her brothers had strayed from the light. Percy looked up from his meal and gave Severus a nod of acknowledgement. Severus nodded back curtly and continued to eat his meal, taking refuge in the knowledge that he would soon have Ginny in his arms again.

After dinner a desert of apple pie and cream was served. If Severus was able to ignore who provided him with the meal he was then able to enjoy it. The food was amazing, but not as good as Molly Weasley's. Before the evening meal was called to a halt Voldemort raised his wine glass to make a toast, the rest of the people at the table whipped up their glasses.

"To Thailand!" He said in what could only be described as a cheerful tone. Severus relied to the toast and gulped down the rest of his wine.

…………………………………………………………………………………………..

Ginny awoke to a newspaper falling on her head. She opened her eyes and rubbed her forehead where the paper had hit before sitting up and reading the article on the front page. _Bangkok in Ruins_, she took a deep breath in as she read.

_"…As a recent addition to the list of cities attacked by the dark side, Thailand's capital city has had to deal with the wide-spread destruction of their Magical shopping district, as well as the murder of over fifteen innocent muggles. In the attack thirty-five wizards and witches perished. Now, more than ever, the wizarding folk are subjected to world-wide threat of destruction. _

As usual, Cornelius Fudge, England's minister for magic, has remained tight-lipped about the attacks, and all attempts that are being made to stop He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named…"

Ginny put the paper down on her lap and rubbed her eyes. First Australia, then Indonesia and not Thailand. It is easy to see that Voldemort was trying to intimidate people into surrender, Ginny could only guess that China or India were next on his list, as he slowly made his way to England, his home. She put her head in her hands and her thoughts drifted to Severus, hoping with all of her heart that he was safe.

…………………………………………………………………………………………..

On Friday after dinner Ginny sat in the Great Hall for as long as she possible could. She had eaten her dinner early and stayed around to talk to anyone she knew, using it as an excuse to hope to see Severus when he returned. She waited in the hall, hour after hour, hollow conversation after hollow conversation, wishing with all of her heart to see Severus stride through the oak double doors. Every time the doors were pushed open she looked over, only do be disappointed time and time again when she saw a student skip into the hall. It was only when all of the crockery disappeared and there was only one professor left at the staff table that she decided to leave. It was well after seven o'clock and she doubted that she would see him if he did return at this time. Severely disheartened and increasingly worried, Ginny made her way up to her dormitory, decided that she should probably get some sleep.

Ginny was shaken out of a nightmare by the harsh whispers of Hermione, she looked up to meet her eyes and Hermione leant close to her.

"Get your dressing gown. We have to go." Hermione muttered hissed.

"What? Where?" Ginny asked, Hermione put a finger to her lips and threw Ginny her dressing gown. Ginny got out of bed and tugged it on, following Hermione nervously out of the room.

…………………………………………………………………………………………..

A/N: Well, another chapter over and done. This one didn't take so long to update, hope you are happy with it. I am still in the week break before my test, and most of my time has been spent on the computer typing this up.

Thankyou ever so much for your reviews, they make me feel so special! I don't have any exciting news today, so I apologise, but hopefully I will have some next time I update. My life contains a monumental lack of excitement, but then again, if it was to busy I would probably be annoyed with it!

Oh, and just a random question, are there any Aussies reading this?

**Kime…** About that cookie, I like the chocolate flavoured ones with white chocolate chip. Got any of them? Hehehe…. Mmmm, cookies. Oh, and by the way, I have finally figured out if/if not and when/when not someone will/will not die! So exciting squeal.

**krista… **You are not going to fail your test, or at least you didn't. Either way you will do fine. Sorry, but your email didn't appear on the review, so I cant email you, but if you want you can do an author search for Atalanta Zora and you will find some of my OLD stories. Don't be alarmed though, a few are pretty shocking. :) Happy reading to you!

**Anglic Bladez…** As I can gather from the books, Harry can be pretty daft sometimes, so he really just thought what he wanted to think. This chapter is pretty, well, I don't know. I am sure you know what I mean. Well, thanks for the reviews, and rest assured, there is more to come!

**Andelique Collins…** We didn't hear too much about what happened to Severus in his rage in this chapter, but I am pretty sure next chapter will reveal some of that. Thanks for reading my story and for your reviews! Ta!

**Something – L1k3 – LAuGhTeR… **Yes, a very hard name indeed, but I will keep at it. Wow, an obsession you say? feels special. Hmmm, about Harry (and the rest of the wizarding world) I cannot say much, but much to my amazement, the story has moved along a lot slower than I thought, I originally wanted it to be fifteen or so chapters, but I still have so much to write. So, sorry, but I think your in for a long haul! Thanks for reading and reviewing! Oh, and by the way, 4 comes after 5… well, in my mind anyway!

**I Love Nerds 919…** Thanks for your review. I hope that this chapter was as good as the last!

**maddudewalking… **You have a happy dance? Wow! So do I! How cool! Pats on back. Here is the next chapter for ya, hope its ok. And don't say your weird, I think you are wonderful! I love the word nymphomaniac, I also like pyromaniac, narcissistic and necrophiliac…. I don't know why, but I just like them. Maybe I can include them some time!

**HarryGinnyfan23…** I know, I want to bash the living daylights out of Mr. Perdy-Pants Malfoy too. Takes out stick DIE DRACO!

**sparklemonkey… **You are Aussie too? How thoroughly exhilarating! My formal is next Friday night and I am so excited, mind you, my mother is making my dress and let me just say that it is pretty far from complete sheepish grin. I am not doing anything for schoolies thought. And by this Friday my exams will be over! WAHOOO! And so begins the long wait for Uni acceptance letters and the HSC marks and UAI's… Did you apply for uni or TAFE or anything? Ahh well, wish you all the best of luck!

Lots of Love,

Sinister Spiders


	17. Betrayed

_Warning: _This chapter contains some content not suitable for people under sixteen.

_The Midnight Hour_

**CHAPTER SEVENTEEN:** Betrayed

_Ginny was shaken out of a nightmare by the harsh whispers of Hermione, she looked up to meet her eyes and Hermione leant close to her. _

"_Get your dressing gown. We have to go." Hermione muttered hissed._

"_What? Where?" Ginny asked, Hermione put a finger to her lips and threw Ginny her dressing gown. Ginny got out of bed and tugged it on, following Hermione nervously out of the room._

When Ginny reached the common room she noticed that Harry and Ron where there in their pyjamas also, talking to Professor McGonagall. She looked at Ginny and Hermione and gave a polite nod before walking out of the portrait hole. The students followed.

"What is going on?" Ginny hissed to Harry.

"Shhh." He replied, she bit her lip, she knew it had something to do with the Order. Her heart felt as if it stopped beating, what if it was about Severus? She tried to push all of her bad thoughts from her mind as she followed her Head of House through the corridors of Hogwarts and out into the cool air of the Hogwarts grounds at night. When they reached the pumpkin patch behind Hagrid's hut she pointed to a small pumpkin. They all touched it at the same time and were transported into the hallway of Grimmauld place. The students were directed into the dining room where many members of the order were seated. Ginny looked around and blinked back tears as she realized that Severus was not their, but neither was Dumbledore. Perhaps they were together, Ginny had to believe it.

No less than ten minutes later Dumbledore stepped into the room, a sober look on his face, eyes shining with sadness. Bill followed him in, looking as though he was hard pressed not to cry. And to Ginny's great relief Severus followed her brother, looking unharmed and relatively unemotional. They all took their seats at the table and Dumbledore begun to talk.

"It is with great regret that I have asked you all here. There is both good, and bad news. Severus' latest mission has revealed some rather shocking and revealing facts. It is to our satisfaction that not even an eight of the people we suspected had turned to the dark side. However, the news is not all good." His eyes scanned all of the Weasley's, and lingered on Bill for what seemed an eternity. "It seems that Percy Weasley has indeed joined the Death Eaters." Molly gave a howl of despair and Athur pulled her into his chest, his arms around her comfortingly as a tear escaped his eyes. "Percy was accompanied by Fleur Delacour." Dumbledore stated, Bill bit his lip and Ginny could see a drop of blood forming under his tooth. Bill and Fluer were engaged, he genuinely loved her. She could see the effect of the betrayal in his eyes. She too begun to cry, Harry wrapped his arms around her. As much resentment that she felt towards Percy, she still loved him as a sister loved a brother. He was part of her family, and now he had turned into something she despised, something her parents had warned her against. It made her feel as if their relationship had been a lie, everything she knew was set alight before her eyes. She spared a look in Ron's direction, his face red with anger, Hermione's hand on his seemed to be the only thing that prevented him from jumping out of his seat and ripping the entire room apart. "Apart from those two," Dumbledore continued, "Severus did not find anyone else with a connection to us. So, with that in mind, when you talk to Percy or Fleur I urge you to watch what you say." Dumbledore looked around the room sadly. "In this time, I also ask that you support each other, because in the darkness we shall find light in each other's hearts." Dumbledore rose from his chair and stepped away from the table, as did many other members of the order. A few people left the room immediately, Severus was one of them. Ginny stood up and walked out of the room, ignoring Harry calling her name. She saw Severus sneak off into the lounge room and she followed him.

Severus stood in the lounge room, hoping Ginny had seen him walk in. His heart ached for her. When he saw her crying he wished nothing more that to be able to hold her, but instead, it was Potter who had his arms around her. Potter that whispered things to calm her down.

"Severus." Came Ginny's weak voice, he turned to face her and she ran towards him, he wrapped his arms around her and kissed her on the forehead.

"It's okay my love." His whispered, running his hand through her messy hair. She put her head on his chest and he pulled her closer. "It will be okay." She shook her head.

"He was my brother." She whispered, he held her face and turned it so he could look into her eyes.

"He still is you brother." He hissed, she averted her gaze from his. "Ginny, things will be fine." He kissed her on the cheek and she begun to cry again. He pulled her head against his chest and decided that it was best to let her cry. He rubbed her back softly.

"Thankyou Severus." Came a voice from the doorway, it was Bill Weasley. Panic ran through Severus and he tried to look as awkward as possible, his soft rubbing of Ginny's back turned to awkward patting and he inched away from her "I can take her for you." Bill walked over and hugged Ginny, Severus backed out of the room and Ginny shot him a look of despair over Bill's shoulder

"I'm so sorry Gin." Bill whispered, Ginny looked up into his eyes.

"I'm sorry too Bill. I can't believe she did that to you." She said through quivering lips, Bill tried to blink back his tears, he was rather unsuccessful.

"And Percy… that bastard." Bill cried angrily, his fists clenched against Ginny's back.

Ginny and Bill stayed in the lounge room, and slowly, other members of the Weasley family joined them, Fred, George, Ron, Molly and Arthur. Ginny couldn't remember a time where she had seen her family so heartbroken.

* * *

Ginny, Harry, Ron and Hermione walked towards through the Hogwarts grounds that afternoon behind Dumbledore, McGonagall and Severus. Since the meeting last night, it seemed as though everybody was in an unhappy mood. Ron and Hermione were walking hand in hand and Harry and Ginny were walking next to each other. Harry looked over at Ginny and smiled, Ginny frowned back at him.

When they returned to the common room Ron suggested a game of exploding snap, and eager to get her mind of the betrayal of her family, Ginny agreed. Harry and Hermione joined in. After ten minutes of playing their mood was slightly better.

"Hey Ginny," Ron said, Ginny looked up at him. "Bill told me that you were hugging Snape last night." Ginny gulped, what could she say to that?

"He told you?" Ginny asked, Harry and Hermione looked at her interestedly.

"Yup."

"Oh, how embarrassing." Ginny said, forcing a blush, Harry and Hermione laughed. "I hoped he wouldn't tell you." Ron laughed at her "Well, he was the only person there." She said, smirked.

"Wow, you must have been pretty desperate to hug Snape. I am surprised he didn't push you away and take one hundred points of Gryffindor." Harry and Ron cracked up.

"Oh, don't be so horrible you two. I am sure that he does have a heart hidden somewhere." Hermione reprimanded them. Ginny wanted to slap her brother. No, she didn't want to slap him, she changed her mind. She wanted to tell him about her relationship with Severus, tell him that he was the most amazing person that she had ever had the honour of loving. That would anger him.

* * *

It was two days before Ginny sat in Severus class again, and the realisation that Percy and Bill's fiancée were not going to return to her side finally sunk in. Hazel had asked her many times what was wrong, but Ginny just smiled and said that she didn't feel too well. Ginny stirred her cauldron and looked up to the front of the room, she caught Severus' eye and gave him a smile. He blinked back at her and rose from his seat. He strode down the gap in the middle of the classroom and rounded on her cauldron.

"What is this Miss Weasley?" He asked, she shrugged.

"A potion _Professor_." She replied matter-of-factly, he glared at her.

"It that's what you can call it. You have completely ruined it. Look at the consistency. Were you not listening when I told you it was supposed to be lumpy?" She looked over the simmering potion. "Or did you think that you would stir the bumps out to make it look prettier?" Ginny bit her lip. "It's lucky that you are only allowed to have two remedial potions lessons a week, because otherwise I would be forced to see you every night due to your incompetence." He spat before stalking around the room and looking at other cauldrons, barking orders at the students and taking points off here and there.

* * *

It was to Ginny's great relief that she walked through the door to the potions classroom that evening. She spotted Severus at a desk at the back of the room and walked over to him, when he saw her he smiled.

"How are you holding up?" he asked her.

"Much better, thanks." She said with a broad grin. She sat on the seat behind him and looked into the cauldron he was stirring. "What's in there?" She asked.

"An anti-infection draught." He told her, "For Madam Pomfrey." Ginny nodded and put her hand on his lap.

"It is so hard Severus." She whispered, he looked at her questioningly.

"What is my love?" he stopped stirring the potion and rested the spoon on the dest.

"This. Everything. I sometimes wish that I could tell people about you and I, so that we didn't have to hide it anymore." She said sadly, Severus nodded and let her continue "The only person who knows is Hazel, but I am sure many other people suspect something." She rested her head on his shoulder.

"They may, my love. Before you know it you will be finished school and we wont have to hide anymore." Ginny shook her head.

"Well, I wont, but you will… Because I am sure the Weasley clan will be hungry for your blood." He laughed and kissed her softly.

"Your family doesn't scare me." He joked, she looked up and smiled at him.

"Do you think they suspect anything?" she asked, Severus shook his head confidently. "There was a bit of a slip up on Friday night though, when Bill walked in on us hugging. I told him later that you were too upset to know what you were doing. I am actually more worried about Dumbledore." He said, Ginny gasped.

"Dumbledore?" She repeated, he nodded.

"After the final quidditch game he called me to his office and asked why I behaved rather _peculiarly_. I made up some excuse about being sick of the Slytherin tactics and the way it effected on house reputation, he said that he understood exactly what I was talking about and then asked why I didn't let Harry bring you to the hospital wing."

"Why didn't you?"

"Because I love you." He whispered, caressing her cheek.

"You didn't tell him that did you?" she asked, shocked.

"No, of course not. When I arrived on the pitch Harry was just sitting beside you like a stunned garden gnome. He had no idea what to do. So, I told Dumbledore that I saw that you needed medical attention immediately, and did what I thought was best at the time." He explained

"Did he buy it?" She asked, he shrugged.

"I don't know. Right after I told him, he told me that he thought that Harry liked you a great deal, and that it is strange how you two are not together." Ginny bit her lip.

"What did you say?"

"I just told him that I didn't pay attention to the intrigues of studen'ts day to day lives."

"Hmm…" Ginny voiced thoughtfully, Severus pushed some loose strands of hair off her face.

"That was all. He is the only person I am worried about. We will just have to be careful until you have finished school." He told her, she looked up at him and grinned playfully.

"Do you think we will be together that long?" She whispered, he smiled back at her.

"I don't see why not." She stretched up and kissed him softly.

* * *

The weeks flew by and Ginny read about another attack by the death eaters. This time it was in Hong Kong, China, killing only ten people but injuring many more. It now seemed as if the wizarding world was on it's toes, watching carefully for another attack.

Ginny and Severus got through the time by seeing each other in remedial lessons, talking on the two way mirror and occasional detentions. Ginny was becoming increasingly aware of the love and devotion she felt towards Severus, and her respect for him grew daily. The winter months ebbed away, the snow melted, and Ginny could taste the end of the year. With the exams due to begin that week, Severus was constantly playing the role of a concerned teacher, urging her to study, and actually teaching her in remedial potions class.

When Ginny made her way down to Hagrid's hut for her first exam, Care of Magical Creatures, she was reasonably sure that she would do well. She spotted the hippogriffs in the pen and smiled, if there was an animal she loved, it was hippogriffs. She smiled and made her way over to Hagrid.

"How are yeh?" He asked, she smiled.

"Fine thanks, yourself?" She replied, he smiled and nodded.

"Not too bad. This exam should be easy for ya." He told her, the rest of the class made their way over to the hippogriffs. The class, if you could call it that, was small. There were only four students, but Hagrid insisted on teaching them in the beginning of the year. Ginny noticed that he had managed to find enough hippogriffs so they could have one each. "Today I want yeh all ta give the hippogriffs 'ere medical exams. Yeh'll have one each, and there's ta be no talkin'." He said, Ginny nodded. "Yeh may begin." Ginny made her way over to her favourite hippogriff, a marvellous white beast named Hyperion.

* * *

Ginny sat in her last remedial potions lesson for the year. It was several days before the exam, and she was feeling rather disappointed. She had tried to kiss Severus a few times, but he refused to allow her to, saying that she had work to do. After writing for a very long time she stopped.

"Severus?" She asked.

"Hmm?"

"If I continue to do my work like the wonderful student that I am, will you give me a kiss later?" She asked sweetly, he looked as though he was considering her proposition carefully.

"You will have to wait and find out." He told her. She glared at him and he shrugged before pointing to her work. "Write." She put her quill down.

"Considering I love you, and you love me, I think our time would be better spent basking in the glory of our relationship. So, why don't you just give me the answer to the test and we can put this time to better use." He laughed.

"Cheating are we?" He asked.

"No!" she replied indignantly "Of course not." He shook his head.

"Work." She rolled her eyes before resuming her writing

* * *

Ginny completed her Care of Magical Creatures, Muggle Studies, Divination and Transfiguration exams with a reasonable amount of confidence. Even though she told everyone that she asked that she was going to fail miserably, she knew that it was just a buffer so that she wouldn't be disappointed if she did.

The end of the school year was close enough to touch as Ginny sat in the potions classroom, exam paper in front of her. The exam was a written one, consisting of many short answer question and two essays. She looked up at Severus and his eyes twinkled at her. Her ask for hints on what was on the exam paper went unfulfilled in the past week, so she just had to hope that what she knew was enough to get her by. When she had asked Severus for answers, he had just laughed. Hazel had asked whether Ginny was able to give her any information, so Ginny just laughed at her.

"Your reading time starts now." Came Severus' potions-master drawl. Ginny opened the paper and scanned it with her eyes. From what she could tell, it was nowhere near as hard as she had expected.

Two and a half hours later Ginny took her paper to the front of the room and handed it to Severus with a smile.

"There you go _Professor_." She said before walking out of the room, as soon as she reached the corridor she realised that tommorow, her sixth year would be over, and that she would be on the Hogwarts Express and back to Grimmauld place.

…………………………………………………………………………………………..

* * *

A/N: So, that sums it up for Ginny's sixth year. There will be more to come, I assure you. I can also assure you that Ginny's second year will be full of goodies, detentions, remedial lessons, love letters, war and death. I will also throw in another few surprises, but you will have to wait for them! The next chapter will be up A.S.A.P! And in case some of you were wondering, I do have another story under this account! It is called 'Angels' and I about Ginny again, I have decided she is my favourite to write about!

Oh, and I have finished school FOR EVER! My last exam was drama on Friday and the butt heads on the radio forgot about us! How could they? They said economics was the last exam… sounds about right…. For anyone out there who thinks drama is easy, let me tell you that you are completely and utterly wrong! It is the most nervewracking and phsycially challenging subject I have ever done! Sorry about that, needed to vent my anger at people forgetting about drama. But yeah! IT IS OVER! And I am happy, well, that is at least until I get the results!

**Mistress of Eternity: **Sorry about the cliff hanger, I don't know why but I have a strange obsession with them. Well, now Severus is back you can rest easy. And yes, Voldemort is wiping out everything, but you haven't seen the end of bald old Voldie yet! Did I end this on a cliffy? Let me see… No. Good.

**arrestingseraph: **Before I thank you I would like to say you have a wicked name! Thanks for your review, I hope you enjoyed this chapter!

**Lollylover:** Was it really intense? Hmph… that's cool! Here is the chapter, the next one shouldn't take too long.

**maddudewalking: **I will see how I can work those words into the chapters to follow. And about Fluer… POOR BILL. I feel terrible doing that to him, I really do, but I think it is kind of interesting to experiment with different characters. Let's just say that that isn't the last you will hear of Fleur…. evil grin. Thanks heaps for your comments, they rock my socks!

**hatebelow: **Thankyou so much for your review, it is VERY much appreciated!

**Anglic Bladez: **Don't be so silly, your exams are just as hard to you as mine are to me! I wish you all the best in these exams and the ones to follow, and I will try not to rub in the fact that I DON'T HAVE TO GO TO SCHOOL ANYMORE… squeals and dances around room like lunatic. Take my word for it, when you finish school it is the best damn feeling in the world! Take care! P.S. What part of Australia?

**sparklemonkey: **I wasn't particuar about schoolies, I don't really know whether it is worth it. My exams finished on Friday with drama… thank god! UTS huh? Good on you. They don't have the course I want there. I have applied for psychology at UWS… all the other ones need a UAI of 90 something. Grrr, stinking UAI! Thanks for your review too. Oh, when is your formal? Mine is Friday, and my dress isn't don't yet! Hehehe.

**I Love Nerds 919:** Why thank you my dear! I hope you liked this one too!

**HarryGinnyFan23:** Don't worry about Severus, what will happen will happed. The Ginny's next year will be just as exciting as her last!

Hugs and Kisses,

Sinister Spiders


	18. A Displeasure

_Warning: _This chapter contains some content not suitable for people under sixteen.

_The Midnight Hour_

**CHAPTER EIGHTEEN:** A Displeasure

Ginny had been holed up in Grimmauld place for what seemed an eternity. Harry, Ron and Hermione were not there most of the time, they were undoubtedly trying to defeat the dark lord. Two more attacks on innocent wizarding communities had taken place, one in Russia and one in India. The response to the attacks was quicker and the members of the Order of the Phoenix were overjoyed to discover that aurors had been able to capture or kill a number of death eaters. Because of the attacks her mother had forbidden her from leaving the house, even to go shopping for her school books.

Ginny sat on her bed, late at night. The candle on her bedside table burning low as she held her two-way mirror in her had, waiting for Severus to appear. After a while she was relieved to see his face looking back at her.

"Good to see you!" She said excitedly, he smiled.

"You too my love." He replied, "How was your day?" He asked.

"Boring. As always. I just wish mum would let me leave this house!" Severus frowned.

"You know she is doing it to protect you." He said, trying not to sound too much like an overprotective teacher.

"I know, but if I stay in this house for much longer I will go crazy! Then she will have to protect me from myself!" Severus laughed.

"Well, if it makes it any better, there really isn't anything exciting happening outside of Grimmauld Place." He said, Ginny laughed.

"No, it doesn't make it any better… because it is clearly a sack of stinking lies!" She said jokingly.

"So,' he begun "did you get any letters today?" he asked, she glared at him through the mirror. "Can I take that look as a yes?" he said softly.

"Yes, you may. And as you clearly know already, I have received a letter. A school report in fact. And can I just say that my mother and father were most disappointed with the comment you gave me?" She said through her teeth, she grinned.

"What ever do you mean?" he mocked, she brandished her potions report in front of the mirror and cleared her throat.

"Ginevra Weasley has been a terrible student, and a displeasure to teach. She is intolerably rude and cynical, and in potions class she has become infamous for her lack of respect and humility. She needs to learn that she does not have to comment on everything, and that she owes a professor more respect." She finished, Severus shrugged.

"That is no different from the ones I have given you in previous years." He said making Ginny roll her eyes.

"That doesn't mean mum and dad are okay with it!" She cried, he laughed.

"Didn't they see your marks?" He asked, she nodded.

"That is the only reason I am still breathing." She hissed making him laugh more. "Stop it!" she cried. He tried to calm down and then looked at her seriously.

"So my love, how did you go in your other subjects?" He asked casually.

"Being a stickybeak are we?" she jested.

"Well no, I don't particularly care, I thought I ought to ask." He lied. She held the other reports up to the mirror so he could say. "You got one hundred percent for care of magical creatures?" he asked, clearly impressed. She nodded.

"My best subject." She said. After he had finished looking at her other report he smiled at her.

"I always you knew were a smart one." He told her.

"Even though I am a terrible student and a displeasure to teach?" she joked, he nodded.

"How would it look if I wrote; Ginny is a wonderful student, when she is in my class I can not help but stare at her. I find everything about her fascinating, and I wonder how she came to be such an amazing kisser. In her remedial lessons she displayed avid enthusiasm towards me, and she is incredibly bright." Ginny laughed.

"I am sure my parents would mind." She stated matter-of-factly.

"So, what do you want to do after you leave school?" he asked, she shrugged.

"Well, I want to join the order…" he frowned, "But, when the war is over I think I would like to do something with animals."

"That would be an excellent choice for you." He told her, she smiled.

"I miss you." She said sadly. There was silence for a few moments.

"How would you like to receive another letter?" he asked wickedly, she raised her eyebrows.

"What type of letter are we talking about?"

"A letter from your dear friend Hazel." Ginny smiled happily.

* * *

"Hey Mum!" Ginny said as she skipped into the kitchen, a piece of parchment clutched tightly in her hand. She looked over at the table to see Fred and George sitting down, and Severus was there also, drinking a glass of water. "Look!" She said, she walked over and handed her the parchment.

"From Hazel?" her mother asked, she nodded. Molly read the letter carefully and frowned.

"I don't know Ginny-"

"Mum! Please! I am dying in this house. It is so boring!" Ginny interrupted, Molly looked at the letter again and shook her head.

"Oh, go on mum!" George said exasperatedly.

"Yeah! The poor kid has been stuck in this place for weeks. I can hardly imagine how that would feel!" Fred added, Ginny nodded animatedly.

"It is very dangerous out there." Molly hissed at her twin sons.

"We know mum, but just let her have _some_ fun!" they argued, Molly tutted at the disapprovingly.

"Ginevra dear, no one will be able to take you on that day. Your brothers, your father and I are all on duty." She said quietly, Ginny frowned and took the letter back sadly.

"That sucks Mum." Ginny pouted, her mother patted her on the shoulder.

"Well Molly, I must be off. Thanks for the glass of water." Severus said standing. Fred and George looked at him with wicked grins and jumped out of their seats.

"Severus dear!" George said slinging his arms around the older man's shoulders.

"Where have you been all of our lives?" Fred asked, Severus glared at them.

"How about you participate in some community service?" George asked.

"I would think that protecting innocent people would be community service enough." He drawled, Fred and George shook their heads.

"Why don't you help an innocent young girl… You aren't working on Friday… or on Tuesday…" Fred said softly pointing to Ginny who did her best to look sullen.

"Fred! George!" She hissed, blushing furiously.

"Ginny, dear, Severus is actually a very nice man, aren't you Sevvie?" Fred said patting Severus on the chest, Severus threw Fred's hand away from him "His just a bit prudish. That's all." He added.

"Fred, George, I don't think it is your place to plan people's lives for them." Molly warned, Severus held up his hand.

"Never mind Molly. I will do it." He drawled, Fred and George whooped and cheered and Ginny grinned. "I am no philanthropist." He growled, Fred and George stopped dead in their tracks, Ginny's mouth fell open. This was not part of their plan. "I have been feeling rather tired lately. If I take your sister to her friends house I expect something in return." Ginny glared at him and Fred and George looked at each other.

"Severus, we have already told you that are bodies are not for sale!" George said indignantly, Fred, Molly and Ginny burst out laughing and Severus kept his calm.

"Never you mind George, I have never really liked red heads anyway." Severus said coolly "I was actually going to say that if you take one of my shifts, and Fred takes another, I will be willing to take your sister to where she needs to go." Fred and George turned to Ginny and she gave them a pleading look.

"Deal." They said, turning back to Severus. Severus shook their hands and strode out of the room. Sometimes Ginny was amazed by Severus' cunning manipulation.

* * *

"What was all that about?" Ginny asked Severus through the two-way mirror, he grinned back at her.

"I realised that when you would be over, I would have to work two shifts, and I didn't want to leave you alone." Severus said.

"Don't you trust me in your house?" Ginny mocked, he rolled his eyes.

"No. Anyway, I think my time would be much better spent with you instead running around for the order." He said.

"Do you ever get tired of babysitting?" she asked.

* * *

Ginny waited in the hall with her bag on her back. Severus was fifteen minutes late, and her mother was growing impatient.

"I knew we shouldn't have bugged. Him. Ginny, owl him and tell him not to worry. It is hardly worth his time. I guess you will have to stay here." Molly babbled, Ginny turned to her and was about to say something when the door opened.

"Okay. Are you ready?" Severus asked, Ginny nodded and kissed her mother before heading to the door.

"Oh Ginny! Take care!" Her mother cried after her, Ginny nodded and followed Severus.

An hour later Ginny walked into Severus' lounge room and took her bag off her shoulders.

"Where do you want me to put it?" she asked.

"In the guest room." He said, she raised her eyebrows.

"In the guest room?" she repeated questioningly, he looked at her and she smiled.

"Can I not sleep in your room?" she asked.

"I don't like sleeping in the guest room." He replied, she shook her head and put her bag on the floor before wrapping her arms around him.

"It's not as though we haven't already made love Severus." She whispered into his ear. He kissed her on the cheek.

"You may sleep where you like." He said before pulling away from her and walking into the kitchen, she grinned and picked up her bag triumphantly.

* * *

The next day Ginny laid with her head on Severus' lap, he stroked her hair lovingly. They had spent the previous night together and did not wake until late morning. It was now after nine o'clock and they were happy to lounge around.

There was a hard rapping on the door and they both jumped in shock. Severus stood up quickly, careful not to hurt Ginny. He walked over to the door silently and peered through the keyhole.

"Shit. Ginny, take your things and hide in my room." He whispered, he ran over to her and picked her jacket up off the table and shoved it into her hands, she looked at him, scared.

"Severus, who is it?" She asked, worried that her parents had cottoned on to what they were doing.

"It's no one from the order, don't worry. Just go into my wardrobe and close the door after you, there is a manhole in the top of it, tap it with your wand and hide in there, then tap it once more. I will come and get you soon." He said and pushed Ginny towards the stairs. He went into the kitchen and waved his wand around, a plate of potatoes and beef appeared, he threw half of it in the bin and put the plate on the table before walking over to the door. He opened it and smiled.

"Lucius, Percy, do come in." he said and stepped back, allowing the two men to walk into the room.

Ginny climbed up through the small hole in the top of Severus wardrobe and once she had squeezed through she tapped it with her wand. She had a look around and the room seemed to be an attic. There were boxes all around her, most covered in dust. She sat in silence, all she could think about was Severus.

"… Diagon Alley." Lucius finished, Severus and Percy nodded, and Severus stood up.

"Well, thankyou for your company gentlemen." He said, the other two men stood up as well and he walked over to the door. Percy stepped out of the door and Lucius leant close to Severus as he passed.

"Next time you want to hide the fact that you had female company," he whispered "Make sure she does not leave her hair brush by the fireplace." Severus' insides froze, on the outside he appeared as calm as he always looked. He nodded and Lucius stepped outside.

"Farewell." He said shutting the door. He looked over to his fireplace, and as Lucius said, Ginny's brush sat on the table right next to it. He walked over to it an picked it up, noticing a strand of red hair caught in it's bristles. He put it back on the table and walked over to the door. He peered through the keyhole again and locked it with his wand before running up the stairs and into his room.

"Ginny…" he said, walking into his cupboard, he took used his wand to tap the roof of the wardrobe and stood on his toes. He looked up into Ginny's face.

"Are they gone?" She whispered, he nodded and helped her out of the roof. When she had her feet on the floor she dusted off her robes. "Who was it?" she asked, he frowned.

"Lucius Malfoy and…" he stopped before he said Percy's name. She didn't need to know that her brother was there.

"And?" she asked.

"Oh, you wouldn't know him." He told her, Ginny nodded and looked down at herself.

"I should probably have a shower." She told him, he nodded and wiped some dust of her face before kissing her on the lips softly.

"I think I will retire now anyway." He said, she walked over to her bag and gathered some clean pyjamas before heading for the bathroom.

* * *

Severus kissed Ginny softly, her naked body against his. She looked up at him and smiled.

"It is too bad that I have to leave today." She whispered, he kissed her again before asking why. "I could really get used to this. I like thinking that there is only you and I." She whispered, her words made her smile.

"Soon enough we will have our time together." He assured her "We just need to be patient." She kissed him deeply before shifting closer to him.

"I love you." She told him happily.

* * *

Later that afternoon Ginny and Severus stepped through the threshold of Grimmauld place. She turned and said her reluctant goodbye before walking into the kitchen, only to find it empty. She got herself a glass of cold water and sat down at the table.

"Hey Gin." Harry croaked, she looked over to see him leaning against the doorframe. He looked so tired, so worn out.

"How are you Harry?" she asked, he shrugged and helped himself to a cup of water, he sat across from her and rested his elbows on the table, head in hands.

"Alright thankyou." He replied, she frowned.

"How are things going?" she asked, she shrugged.

"Very slowly." He replied, Ginny understood, he was not allowed to tell her much.

"You'll be fine Harry." She said softly, he looked up at her. "So, where are Ron and Hermione?" she asked.

"In Ron's room." He said, head jutting towards the kitchen, Ginny nodded with a knowing "Oh."

"So…" Ginny said, lost for words "Do you think you'll miss Hogwarts?" she asked, he looked thoughtful.

"Yes." He replied "I already do. It was my home." He said, she smiled at him. "And another thing I know I will miss when the school year starts up is you." Ginny blushed and so did Harry.

"Harry…" She begun, he held his hand up and she fell silent.

"I know Ginny. You think of me as a friend." He said, Ginny could head slight resentment in his voice "a part of me will always love you, though." He told her, she looked into his eyes and saw the loneliness in them. A loneliness that seemed to be consuming him.

"Harry, some things are not meant to be." She whispered, he looked away from her, she grabbed his hands. "Harry, don't do this please. You are an amazing person. Look at what you are doing. You are fighting for the lives of millions of people who you will never meet. You have come from a childhood that was nothing but tragic, look at you now! You are a hero Harry, and nothing else. One day you will find someone that deserves your love. That isn't me Harry, but I know the right person is out there." He looked at her doubtfully but took a sip of water instead of replying. After a few minutes he looked a little bit happier, but still had a long way to go.

An owl flew in through the window hooting loudly. Ginny looked over at it to see a letter adorned with the Hogwarts crest imprinted on it in green ink. Seeing that it was addressed to her she looked at Harry.

"That's funny. I already have my books." She said, he grinned and she took the letter from the owl. She opened it up and read…

_Miss Ginevra Weasley,_

_On behalf of the House of Gryffindor, I, Minerva McGonagall wish to inform you of your election as captain of the Gryffindor quidditch team. On the first day back at school you are to meet me in my office to discuss your appointment. Please find enclosed a house captain badge, wear it with pride._

_Yours Sincerely,_

_Deputy Headmistress_

_Minerva McGonagall_

Ginny gave a squeal of excitement as she took the badge from the envelope, it was a brilliant scarlet colour with a gold lion and the word _captain_ engraved on it.

"I told you I would put in a good word for you." Harry said softly, she hugged him excitedly.

* * *

The night before Ginny was to return to Hogwarts the Weasley family and numerous members of the order sat around the table in the dining room of Grimmauld place enjoying a hearty meal prepared by Molly in honour of Ginny's selection as Gryffindor quidditch captain. Molly stood up to serve desert but Ron told her to take a seat.

"What do you think you are doing?" George growled.

"Yeah Ron! We want our chocolate cake and ice cream." Fred added, outraged.

"Oh, shove a pie in it Fred." Ron snapped.

"I'd prefer cake, thanks." Fred retorted, Ron went red and Hermione put a hand on his arm to calm him down.

"I have an announcement to make." He said nervously, Fred and George clapped.

"I always knew you were a woman!" Fred cried, wiping a fake tear from his eye.

"SHUT UP!" Ron yelled, a few seconds later he regained his composure and Hermione stood up beside him, the people around the table looked at them expectantly. "Hermione and I are engaged." He said, looking at his mother nervously. There were a few drawn out moments of silence before Molly got out of her seat and walked over to her son and Hermione. She pulled them into a bear hug and begun to cry.

"I am so happy for you!" She wailed, there was a relieved sigh from everyone at the table and they all begun to chat excitedly. Ginny spotted Harry looking at her, his eyes plainly saying _'that could be us'_. She looked away from him and grinned at Bill. He smiled back at her sadly, probably thinking about his own failed engagement.

Later that evening a few of the members of the order stayed back with the Weasley's to drink to the Hermione and Ron. They both looked radiant, their arms wrapped around each other. Harry kept up a smile the entire night, but Ginny could tell it pained him.

"I was so worried that mum was going to freak out." Ron said, quietly to Ginny.

"Oh Ron. You knew she wouldn't." She said waving her hand dismissively.

"All I could think about was when Bill said he was going to marry Fleur!" Ron said "And how she said he was too young, and that he should do rash things just because of the war." Ginny rolled her eyes.

"You know she only said all of that because she hated Fleur." Ginny said.

"And with just cause." Hermione added. Ginny smiled at her.

"So, I will finally have a sister!" she exclaimed excitedly before hugging her future sister-in-law.

* * *

Ginny sat in her room talking to Severus for the first time in a few days. She was relieved that she was to return to Hogwarts the next day as a quidditch captain.

"So, are we going to continue our remedial lessons?" She asked him.

"I would say so, there is still so much more that I can teach you." He drawled, she grinned.

"Oh. I haven't told you the news!" She said happily, he raised his eyebrow.

"News?"

"Yes! News! Two things actually! The first is that I am the quidditch captain!" He smiled knowingly, she glared at him "You knew?" She asked. He shrugged.

"What was the rest of the news?" he asked before she could say anything else.

"I am going to have a sister!" She said happily, Severus looked perplexed.

"Your mother is having another child?" he asked, Ginny pulled a disgusted face.

"No Severus. Hermione and Ron are engaged."

"Oh, I am glad to hear that." He said, she knew that if she wasn't his lover he wouldn't have cared, even slightly. None the less she continued.

"Earlier on tonight Hermione asked me to be the maiden of honour!" She said, Severus smiled. "I think they want to get married over the Christmas holidays, so I will have to come here again."

* * *

The Hogwarts Express chugged merrily along it's tracks, headed directly for Hogwarts. Ginny sat in a compartment with all of her friends who were delighted by the fact that she was to be team captain.

"You'll have to hold tryouts." Colin told Ginny.

"I know." Ginny replied "Hopefully they wont be like the last ones. Harry had such trouble." She said, Hazel shrugged.

"Yeah, but that is because he is Harry. Speaking of Harry, have you heard from him lately?" Ginny nodded "What has he been doing?"

"I don't know, he doesn't say much in his letters." She lied.

"Has he joined that Order thingy?" Colin asked.

"The Order of the Phoenix, Col." Hazel corrected.

"I don't know." Ginny said.

"If he has Ron would have too, surely you know if Ron is a member." Colin insisted.

"No, I don't know if Harry is a member. I don't know if Ron is a member. To tell you the truth I don't know anything about the order at all, and frankly, I don't care." Ginny snapped, her friends looked taken back.

They sat in silence for a while before getting changed into their school robes, Ginny pinning her badge to her chest proudly.

* * *

"It is lucky for you," Professor McGonagall said, "you will only have to find a new seeker." Ginny nodded and looked around the room. McGonagall's office had not changed since her first year. "I fear though, that finding one as good as Harry will be hard."

"Perhaps impossible." Ginny added, McGonagall nodded in agreement.

"I am sure you will do a wonderful job Miss Weasley. The first game is against Hufflepuff in a month, so you have plenty of time. Have a nice evening." Ginny stood up to leave, when she reached the door she turned around.

"Oh, Professor, while I remember, who is the captain for Slytherin now that Malfoy is gone?" McGonagall frowned.

"Aran Petrovic." She said, Ginny smiled to herself. She was going to flatten him. Ginny walked out of the teacher's office as her mind dreamed up all the horrible things she could do to Aran.

* * *

Ginny climbed into bed, happy to be back at Hogwarts. This was the first year that she was relieved to be at school. Every other year she missed the burrow sourly, but it was different. Her heart panged as she remembered that she hadn't seen the burrow for nearly a year, and she guessed it would be even longer than that before she could see it again. She took out her two way mirror and laid back on her bed. Severus was waiting for her.

"Sorry I'm late." She said, he grinned maliciously.

"That's okay." He said slowly "Now we are back at Hogwarts though I can take points off you again. This _will_ be fun." He told her, she raised her eyebrows.

"How about I make sure that the next potion I make ends up all over you?" she asked poking her tongue out. He shrugged.

"It wouldn't have any effect on me, it is a love potion." He said, she laughed.

"It would make a pretty interesting scene though." She said evenly.

"Don't even think about it." He told her.

"Too late." He glared at her "Oh Severus, don't be so silly. I think I would rather pour it all over Kyrrin so she could fall in love with you." Severus pulled a disgusted face.

"If you do I will give you detentions for a month." He told her.

"Ooh, now that's an incentive!" she cried, overjoyed. He shook his head.

* * *

Ginny kept true to her word. The on her first potion lesson of the school year, two days after she arrived at Hogwarts, she let the fluffy pink love potion dribble all over the Slytherin girl Kyrrin. Sure enough, Severus was the one standing in front of her at the time of the accident.

"Oh Snapey baby!" Kyrrin yelled throwing herself at the potions master. He tried to take a step back but the girl's body fell against his own. He glared at Ginny. "What must I do to get you to love me?" she asked licking her lips seductively. Severus pushed her away and rounded on Ginny.

"MISS WEASLEY! TWENTY POINTS OFF GRYFFINDOR!" He yelled, Ginny looked as though she was ready to laugh, the rest of the class was already in hysterics. Kyrrin threw herself at Severus again, a kiss aimed for his lips. He managed to move his head before her lips came into contact with his own and he pushed her away again stalking over to Ginny. "THAT IS IT! YOU HAVE DETENTION FOR A MONTH!" He yelled, hovering over the red head who was now laughing so hard she could barely bread.

"That's why you don't want me?" Kyrrin sobbed, glaring at Ginny "You have left me for HER?" She yelled, before Ginny knew what was happening Kyrrin's fist came into contact with her left eye and a head-splitting pain coursed through her. Severus ran to the front of the room and retrieved an antidote to the love potions, giving it to one of the Slytherins to administer. He took out his wand and muttered a spell that calmed down the pain and swelling slowly taking over Ginny's head. Ginny stood up groggily and looked at him before she begun to laugh again.

"Take a seat you foolish girl." Severus snapped before walking back to the front of the room.

At the end of the lesson Severus called Ginny to the front of the room, intending to tell her off worse than he had ever done so before. He waited for the rest of the students to leave before leaning on his desk.

"Ginevra." He begun, she looked offended.

"Ginny." She told him.

"Ginevra." He repeated making her roll her eyes, but before he could say anything else she leant forward and kissed him passionately. All of his anger gave way to lust, wishing that he could have her. She pulled away from him and walked out of the room, hips swinging seductively.

* * *

Three weeks passed by uneventfully, Ginny and Severus thoroughly enjoying their detentions together. Ginny had held the tryouts for a new seeker and managed to find a third year girl who was good, but would never match up to Harry's standards. The girl was a slither of a human, with long brown hair and a competitive attitude. The fist game was in just under a week and Ginny finally appreciated how hard Harry had worked to keep the team together, it wasn't as easy as it looked. She had to negotiate nights off with Severus, something that amazed Colin and made Hazel give her a knowing smile.

Ginny sat in the great hall mashing some porridge with her spoon, not really hungry. She heard the familiar hooting of owls and looked up to see hundreds of the birds fly into the hall, Seraphina landed on the table as gracefully as she could with a thick edition of the Daily Prophet hanging off her leg. Ginny untied the newspaper and offered her bowl of food to the owl, who accepted it gratefully. She opened the paper and looked at the front page, her heart dropping into her stomach. There had been another attack, this time on Egypt. She looked frantically through the article for a list of the fatalities, and she was thankful to see that there was no Weasley on there. Unfortunately, Egypt was not as prepared for the attack as some of the other countries and lost a staggering eighty-five people to the death eaters. Ginny rolled the paper up and threw it on the table, scaring the life out of Seraphina. She turned and stormed out of the room, heading for somewhere quiet.

She walked across the deep green grass of the Hogwarts lawns and settled down just outside of the Forbidden Forest, sitting on a log which looked as though it was ready to fall apart. She hated the war. The death, the destruction. It was pointless. It was an age old battle between good and evil for ultimate control. Why did it have to happen? It sickened her to the stomach to know that there were children that were killed because some sycophantic death eaters were told by their master to use scare tactics to gain power. She picked up a stone and played with it before throwing it over her shoulder.

"Ow!" she heard a deep voice cry, she turned around quickly to see Hagrid standing behind her.

"Oh. Sorry Professor." She said, he rubbed his arm where the stone hit and sat down on the log beside her, his weight making it give slightly.

"No doubt yeh've heard about tha attack of Egypt then." He said sadly, she nodded, careful not to look at him. "At least yeh brother's okay." She shrugged. "Look Ginny, it 'appens. 'Arry will be able to fight you-know-who soon enough. Yeh just gotta be strong until then." Hagrid reassured her.

"It is just so frustrating to know that everyone I love is out there risking their lives, and there is nothing I can do to help them!" She hissed, he patted her on the back.

"They're doin' it for a good cause, and that' not to say that anything will happen. Everyone in tha order is highly qualified, Ginny, an I know for a fact that your parents are two of tha best aurors around." Ginny bit her tongue, what she was about to say to his lost in a new and more revolutionary pool of though. Her parents – aurors? No. It wasn't possible.

"My parents aren't aurors, professor, just ordinary people." Hagrid bit his lip and shook his head "My dad, he worked at the ministry… and my mum – she was always at home…." Ginny looked at him, this new concept not able to settle in her mind. Her parents were just part of the order to help out, take a surveillance shift here and there, it never occurred to her that they might have been aurors, they were her parents.

"They needed summat to do after you-know-who vanished years ago." Ginny looked at her shoe. It did make sense. Why would two ordinary wizards be so involved with the Order of the Phoenix if they weren't aurors? Why would they be called to all of the top-secret meetings? Why would they have permanent residence at the headquarters? She wanted to kick herself for being so blind. Now she understood why so many people knew who the Weasley's were, she had always thought it was because of their red hair, but many people had red hair who weren't Weasleys. No wonder the Malfoy's despised them so much. She was even able to recall the time when Severus said that Percy carried some very useful information about the Weasley family. She thought of more and more times that she had brushed comments off and realised that everything made more sense this way.

"Why didn't they tell me?" She asked Hagrid, he shrugged.

"Well, it's not exac'ly summat you bring up in everyday conversation, is it?" He stood up and brushed off his jacket "Well, I best be off. Cheer up." He said before walking towards his hut.

Ginny shook her head. She should have known all along.

* * *

A/N: I am SO sorry that this has taken so long, this chapter was harder to write than I thought an I have had plenty of distractions. I had the formal the week before last, it was brilliant, and my mum finished my dress in good time. My mother's friend from Ireland has come to stay for three weeks as well, but there are only two weeks left- and a visitor means that I must clean my room. Let's just say that it is clean, but I have things to sort out still, and it is all because of the stinking HSC. I can't complain though, because what I have now is nothing compared to the four foot junk pile that (until last night) covered my entire bedroom floor sheepish grin. So, now that I no longer need to embark on a dangerous voyage across my room to reach the computer, and that I have typed up my resume, I am able to write more on this story.

Thanks for the reviews, they make me so happy! Smile. I hope this chapter is okay, the next one will probably be more interesting!

* * *

**Spinners End**: Hey! Love the name, hehehe. Thanks for your review, it was delightful. And about those drama exams, rolls eyes, I take it you know from experience. They are horrible!

**XxSnapexX:** Thankyou so much! I really look forward to reading your fics, so upload them soon! I'll be checking for them! Thanks for the review, take care!

**Mistress of Eternity:** Caffeine and the flu? Wow, what a combination. I hope you are feeling better… and remember, there is absolutely nothing wrong with being hyper, it is wonderful!And with Fluer, this story doesn't really follow HBP (and I am still not a big fan of hers), but everything has a purpose, and hers will be revealed in due course. I haven't seen the fourth movie yet because the stinking thing doesn't come out in Australia until Thursday, but I can assure you that (now that I have no school) I will be first in line at the cinema to view the first session! I am looking forward to it, it looks much better that the other three. I will check for the next chapter of your story, I simply adore your writing! Thanks for your patience, and get well soon! (Oh, and I love long reviews, feel free to leave long reviews!)

**krista**:Thanks for the review, but I honestly have no idea what you are talking about! My story has never had twnty-something chapters, this is actually the most recent one, and it is number eighteen! Well, I hope you enjoyed it none the less!

**sparklemonkey:** Thanks for wishing me luck, the formal was great. Everything worked out the way I wanted it to and I managed to get my boyfriend to dance without his fingers in his ears (he hates loud music), even if it did mean that he had tiny tissue balls in them! Haha. I didn't really go to an after party, it was just a sleep over. I got very little sleep and watched pet cemetary… what a strange movie! Hope schoolies was heaps of fun and safe for you! And I only did three units of history. That is three too many!

**Kime: **Mmmm… Cookies. Thanks stacks, and don't worry about reviewing the last chapter, I am over it (although it took three days of non-stop crying to recover from the pain), and I can understand how demanding education can be. I am angry with Percy and Fleur too, but really, I should be angry with myself. I made them that way. shrugs. I decided not to list the rest of the story as a sequel, I think I should keep it all together, much better! Cheers!

**Angelique Collins: **Thanks stacks. I can assure you that Ginny's second year will contain a good mix of emotions and events, it should be very exciting!

**maddudewalking:** Sorry this one wasn't fast. As I wrote above, Ginny's seventh year will be very action-packed. I wish I could tell you more than that but it would ruin the surpises! Thanks for the review. Peace!

**lollylover: **No, this chapter is the start of Ginny's seventh year, and Harry, Ron and Hermione are definitely gone! Thanks for reviewing!

**Nyah1:** Thanks! Blushes. Your review was great… hehehe, I like smiley faces:)

**HarryGinnyFan23:** Thanks for the luck, and believe me, I need all the luck I can get. Thanks also for the review, and I hope the wait for this chapter wasn't so long!

**Angelic Bladez:** Addicted, eh? Well, a good antidote for that is being kissed by a rotten fish. You can choose to take that advice, or ignore it, I strongly suggest the latter. It sucks about Fleur and Percy, but I really do think that the Weasley family cannot escape unscathed by the events around them, as sad as that it. I love the Weasley family. Wouldn't it be great to be a Weasley? Aw well, I have a great family, so I guess I shouldn't want to join another one. And it's okay, it isn't very nice to rub in the fact that I never have to go to school again. For the rest of my life. For ever. Not even when hell freezes over. That's right, no more school for me, I have complete and utter freedom. Have fun at school and stay safe!

* * *

Love,

Sinister Spiders


	19. Gone Again

Warning: This chapter contains some content not suitable for people under sixteen.

The Midnight Hour

**CHAPTER NINETEEN:** Gone Again

Ginny sat on a seat on the opposite side of the desk to Severus, they were glaring at each other furiously, a tense silence building up. It reached breaking point for Ginny and she jumped out of her seat.

"Oh Severus," Ginny cried exasperatedly "I thought you would be over it by now." Ginny threw her hands into the air and Severus continued to glare at her.

"Ginny, do you have any idea how much gossip went around about what happened?" He asked. "A few of the seventh year Hufflepuffs were saying something about it today in class!"

"So, who cares?" She asked rolling her eyes and folding her arms stubbornly "It happened three weeks ago, and they will stop gossiping when you stop reacting to it." He shrugged.

"It isn't good for a teacher to have rumours spread that a student almost kissed him." He said standing up. She walked over to him and put her hands on his arms firmly.

"She was under the influence of a love potion! Anyway, it is over now okay? Just ignore it. I wont do it again, I promise." She told him he looked very doubtful.

"Fine." He spat "And I just want you to know that if you do something like it again I will make sure you don't have detention for two months." He threatened she raised her eyebrows.

"You couldn't handle that." She told him matter-of-factly, he looked at her questioningly.

"Is that what you really think of me?" He asked her, she nodded.

"Yes, I think you are a sex crazed paedophile who likes to pick on seventh year redheads." She said sarcastically. His face remained unemotional. She wrapped her arms around him and pulled him closer. "I love you." She whispered with a cheeky smile. He glared at her for a few seconds before kissing her roughly, his lips pressing against hers hard.

"I love you too." He replied pulling away from her and running his hand through her hair. "Please try not to pull a stunt that bad again, okay?" She grinned at his and he kissed her again. He sat back down and motioned for her to sit on his lap.

"Severus…" She begun, he tucked some loose strands of hair behind her ear.

"Yes?" He asked, she took a deep breath in.

"Why didn't you tell me that my parents were aurors?" She asked, the idea still plagued her mind from the conversation with Hagrid the day before.

"I thought you already knew." He said with a questioning look.

"No. How was I meant to? I just thought they were part of the Order, it didn't occur to me that they are aurors." Severus kissed her on the cheek.

"There aren't many people in the Order that aren't aurors Ginny." Severus told her, she raised her eyebrows.

"Tell me Severus, who is and who isn't." He sighed.

"You parents, Lupin, Tonks…" He begun, but Ginny interrupted him.

"I know about Tonks and Lupin that is obvious." She said he rolled his eyes.

"You wanted me to tell you."

"Sorry… please continue."

"Apart from the obvious ones that like to flaunt it, like Moody… Bill and Charlie are as well…" Ginny looked dumfounded.

"I just thought…" she begun.

"That they worked with Dragons and at Gringotts? Ginny, the ministry doesn't always need aurors. It doesn't mean that they didn't train as them though." She nodded knowing that arguing would be pointless, Severus knew better than she did. A thought flashed through her mind.

"What about Fred and George? Or Harry, Ron and Hermione?" She asked, Severus shook his head.

"They haven't had the proper training, Ginny." He told her, she looked confused. "Fred and George mainly keep track of what goes on in Diagon Alley, surveillance work. It is hardly likely that they will ever be called to fight." He explained.

"What about Ron, Harry and Hermione?" He looked away from her.

"They aren't aurors Ginny, but they are putting up their own front. I don't want to tell you too much, but they are fighting, and doing the work of an auror." He said, Ginny's heart skipped a beat, knowing that three of her closest friends were going up against the Dark Lord with little training.

"And what about you?" She asked, Severus smiled at her.

"What do you think?" he asked, she shrugged. "I am too. There are more of us than you think. Before you were born it was important to be able to protect yourself, so it only makes sense that lots of people from my generation became aurors. Lily, James and Sirius were aurors too." He said, Ginny nodded, it did make sense. "Why do you think I was so fascinated with the defence against the dark arts job?"

"I always thought it was because you were an evil bastard." She said with a laugh.

"If I am such an evil bastard what are you doing on my lap?" He joked, she kissed him.

"I said, I _thought you were_ not, not I still think you are. Plus, I think your kind of sexy so that naturally negates the evilness." She adjusted herself so she was straddling his lap and kissed him seductively.

* * *

Ginny sat in the Gryffindor late the next evening reviewing the Gryffindor team's quidditch tactics. At breakfast that day Seraphina dropped a thick letter onto her lap, from Harry. He had thought it would be useful for her to have some of the plans he had drawn out the previous year. In the letter he wished her luck and revealed absolutely nothing about what was going on in the Order, as usual. She flicked through the sheets he had given her and found one or two that could be useful, but unfortunately she had to be a bit more cautious than Harry had been because of the fact that her new seeker was not as good as he was. She threw the papers down in frustration and was finally able to understand why Harry had gotten so annoyed as captain. It wasn't an easy job. She had to plan tactics, look after morale, keep the players in place and take the blame for anything that went wrong. She had three more training sessions scheduled and wanted to teach the team a new move that Harry designed, but never got around to teaching them, only she didn't think three sessions was enough. She also knew that the move would help out a great deal.

"Don't stress out Ginny." Hazel said plonking down on the armchair next to hers. Ginny pushed the numerous sheets of paper and parchment onto the floor and tucked her legs onto the over-stuffed red lounge. She put her head against the back of the lounge.

"It is hard not too. I have no idea whether to use a new move or not. I don't think we have enough time." She hissed, Hazel tried to look as though she understood.

"I know that I don't understand Quidditch that well, but I do have an opinion about this." Hazel told her.

"And your opinion is…?"

"I don't think Harry would have left it so late to send you the new moves if he didn't think you could teach them to the team in time for Saturday's game." Hazel said evenly, Ginny nodded.

"I guess so." She said.

"Anyway, how are things going? Besides quidditch?" Hazel asked. One thing Ginny loved about her best friend was how she changed the subject when she knew Ginny was stressed over it.

"Okay. I've done most of the essays, except the potions one." Ginny said, Hazel raised her eyebrows.

"Are you going to?" She asked. Ginny nodded.

"Yup." Hazel opened her mouth, and then shut it again. She looked around the room suspiciously.

"What, Snape wouldn't let you get away with it?" She asked, Ginny laughed.

"No, he wouldn't. He would just give me more detentions and insist I do it during one." She told her friend.

"And what exactly do you mean by detention? One of the scrubbing the potion phial detentions? Or the detention where you have a snogging session?" Hazel whispered. Ginny's face reddened significantly.

"Hazel!" She cried, Hazel laughed.

"It's true isn't it? When was the last time you actually had to do normal detention stuff?"

"Have you finished that essay for McGonagall?" Ginny asked. It was a blatant change of subject, but she didn't want Hazel to think she got off detentions that easily.

"Don't change the subject you git! Tell me the truth!" She poked Ginny in the ribs, making her giggle.

"Fine. It was the last term of last year… I think. Because Ron was there." Hazel gawked at her.

"Wow. Maybe I should date Flitwick… Detentions would be a breeze, Ginny screwed up her face.

"Flitwick?" She asked, disgusted.

"You can't talk!" Hazel laughed "You're with Snape!" Ginny stopped dead in her tracks.

"What's wrong with Severus?" She barked angrily, Hazel drew back and Ginny laughed.

"Shit Gin, I thought you were serious!" She coughed nervously, Ginny laughed even harder.

"No, I wasn't. Anyway, for what it's worth I think he is good looking." Ginny said, Hazel rolled her eyes.

"You're probably only saying that because you are going out with him." Hazel laughed, Ginny shook her head.

"I have to admit, I did think that he wasn't too bad on the eye, before all this started to happen." She waved her hand in the air dismissively and Hazel laughed.

* * *

Ginny cleared her throat and looked around the change room. Her new keeper, Aneas Giddlemore smiled at her. She called him over. He was a tall and rather handsome fifth year, who also happened to be an extremely talented keeper, perhaps better than Ron.

"Aneas," She begun, he shot her another dashing smile "I have heard that this year, the Hufflepuff chasers have been practising trick shots, aiming for the left hoop and shooting the right. I was wondering if you were familiar with the Double Eight Loop?" She asked.

"Yeah, I know it. It is in the final chapter of _Quidditch Through the Ages_." He said, eyes twinkling.

"Do you think you can manage it?" She asked.

"Anything to save a goal." He said gallantly, she forced a smile and walked over to the new Seeker Mena Narayan. Ginny should have known that Aneas' ego would get in the way.

"Ginny." Mena nodded her head as she tightened her shoelaces.

"Mena, how are you?"

"Good thanks, yourself?"

"Not too bad at all thanks." She sat down besides her cleared her throat. "I am guessing that the new Hufflepuff seeker will try and test you out, so I want you to make sure he doesn't lure you into any fake dives. I want you to chase the snitch only when you see it, but make sure you look busy." Mena nodded "Tonight, I am going to cast a charm that will mirror the snitch around the pitch, you will be able to tell which the real one by it's colour, so you will have to make sure you get a good look at it before you start chasing it, okay?" She asked.

"Sweet." Replied Mena gripping onto her broom tightly. Ginny stood up and walked over to the beaters Jimmy Peakes and Ritchie Coote. "You two, I want you to continue what you are doing, but try to play more offensively okay?" She asked they chorused a yes and she walked over to Marianna Ovell and Demelza Robins.

"Don't say anything until I tell you too," she told them quickly, they gave her worried looks "I have been going over some tactics that Harry sent me, and some that I have found and made up, and I think that we should learn a couple of new moves."

"It is-" Demelza begun, but Ginny raised a hand to silence her.

"Look, I understand it is late, but I have faith that we will learn some. There are six in total, but I want to try and get two of them nailed before Saturday. They are pretty difficult, about as complex as the one we used in the final last year." The other two chaser's jaw dropped. Harry had hell trying to teach them that one move in a month, Ginny expected them to learn two in a matter of days. "Everyone ready?" She called, a number of murmurs wafted into her ears and she headed towards the pitch.

An hour and a half later, Ginny was feeling rather pleased with herself, they had managed to learn one of the moves Harry designed, and just had to get their timing right. The other players were looking very impressive, and the over all mood of the team was good. When she was back in the change room, pulling on her t-shirt Peakes and Coote walked over to her.

"Hey Ginny." Coote said, she pulled her hair through the neck of her shirt and smiled.

"We just want to tell you that we like you better than Potter." Ginny laughed as a blush spread across her face.

"What do you mean?" she asked, they grinned.

"Harry had a way of yelling at us and making us feel as though we were screw ups. You just make us feel as though we are losers-" Peakes begun

"Which is much better than being screw ups." Ginny laughed.

"Oh, don't you worry, there will be many of opportunities for me to make you feel like screw ups later!"

* * *

Ginny walked into Severus' office and sat on the edge of his desk, he looked up at her and frowned, before pushing a pile of parchment away from her. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a crumpled piece of paper, giving it to her. Ginny unravelled it and looked at it. There was a small map of Brazil, a skull covering the city of Sao Paulo. Ginny looked up at him and her stomach fell.

"Don't tell me…." She begun, he nodded sadly.

"South America. Almost fourty died. Mostly muggles." He said, she gasped and brought her hand to her mouth.

"Severus…" She whispered, looking at him desperately. Her mind spun, this war was not going to go away, she felt his arms wrap around her and he pressed his hand into her own. "When?" She asked.

"A few hours ago. I wanted to tell you tonight though. Ginny, as much as I hate to tell you this, I have to. This isn't going to stop. Voldemort is angry, and vicious, he want to claim the entire wizarding world. There will be more attacks, these are dangerous times." Ginny bit her lap and squeezed his hand. He leant forward and kissed her neck softly. "Don't worry my love, I will keep you safe." He whispered and then kissed her again, she smiled, taking refuge in his touch, relief in his words. All she knew is that when she was with Severus she fetl safe.

* * *

Two days later Ginny was woken by Seraphina nipping her ear. She pushed the owl away and rubbed her eyes, a copy of the Daily Prophet on her bedside table. She unrolled it groggily and felt sick as she read the headline. '_Swedish city Stockholm Hit._'. It was the third attack in a week. She laid back down and wished the feeling of queasiness' in her stomach away. She now realised that it was as if there were two realities, the one she faced in Hogwarts and the war-riddled one she knew lay just outside the castle's boundaries. She rubbed her eyes again and she wished that she could be with Severus that moment. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Knowing that she would see Severus that evening, she just had to be patient.

Later that day Ginny sat on a log at the edge of the forest with Hazel and Hagrid, waiting for the rest of her care of magical creatures class. They waited five minutes before the rest of the students joined them, Hagrid stood up and rubbed his hands together.

"I 'ave a great lesson planned for yeh's today." He said gleefully, Ginny bit her tongue, a good lesson in Hagrid's words meant that she was very likely to face one of the most dangerous creatures on the face of the earth. Hagrid urged them to follow him to the pen besides the forest. Ginny gasped loudly.

"Ah, I see miss Weasley 'as recognised this wonderful creature, care to tell us wha' it is?" Hagrid asked, Ginny looked up at him.

"It's a Graphorn. Professor Hagrid, you can't be serious." Ginny said nervously as the large greyish purple beast whinnied and threw it's horned head back intimidatingly. A few of the other students looked at each other in horror.

"Yep, I am serious. A beautiful beast tha' Graphorm, it's just misunderstood is all." He said, Ginny coughed.

"Professor, it is considered dangerous by the ministry of magic, only _skilled _handlers are meant to approach it!" Lianna added, a rather intelligent Ravenclaw girl, second to Ginny in this subject.

"If yeh are considerin' a career in animal handling you'll probably come across one of these." He told them. "There's no harm in starting to learn early. Now, any volunteers?" The class looked at each other apprehensively. "Miss Weasley, could yeh come with me please?" Ginny's eyes widened.

"But I didn't…" She begun

"Thanks for volunteering." Hagrid said dragging her towards the pen Ginny clutched her wand and wished for luck, she knew she would need it. graphorns are extremely vicious creatures with horns that would make the most experienced wizard pollute their pants. Ginny knew that the creatures could be tamed, but seriously doubted that the training would override their natural instincts.

Hagrid explained to Ginny that he wanted her to herd the creature into the cage at the far end of the pen. She knew from her studies that graphorns were shy away from bright light, but when she asked Hagrid for advice, he told her what she already knew. As she approached the beast it turned it's horned head to her and growled, Hagrid backed away slowly. She didn't know whether it was because he himself was scared, or to give her more room. The graphorn begun to stamp it's four thumbed feet viciously and Ginny pulled out her wand. It charged towards her, and she had a second to consider her plan of action.

" Lumos Maximo!" She bellowed, the tip of her wand erupted into the most magnificently bright light she had seen in years and the graphorn let out a loud cry of anguish, it turned and begun to head away from her wand. She threw a look back at Hagrid who had a grin the size of a quill on his face. Ginny turned her attention back to the graphorn and started to run towards it, wand outstretched.

Five minutes later the graphorn was safely back in it's cage and Ginny was taking a well deserved rest outside the confines of the pen. Hagrid explained to the class that wild graphorns were just as likely to run from such bright lights, but it was essential to maintain that light otherwise they would charge with more fevor. Ginny brushed her hair off her face and took a deep breath, thankful that this was her last lesson for the day.

* * *

Severus watched as Ginny came over to him and sat on the edge of his desk, that morning's copy of the Daily Prophet clutched in her hand. He brought his hand up to her face and caressed her cheek softly. He stood up and took the paper out of her hand, throwing it into the bin. He pressed his lips hard against hers and kissed her passionately, claiming her. Desire flooded through his body and he clutched her robes. She pulled away from him and looked into his eye, not wanting to know what they concealed. He clasped her hand in his and kissed her.

"I love you." He hissed into her ear before taking his lips as his own once again. After a few moments Ginny pulled away from hiss kissed and brought her lips to his ear.

"I love you too." She whispered, biting his earlobe playfully. She kissed him on the cheek before continuing "Severus, can we go to your room?" She breathed, he looked away from her.

"I don't know if…" He whispered back to her, pushing loose strands of hair behind her ear.

"I don't give a damn about the rules. Tonight it is just you and me." She hissed, his whole body ached with the need for her, to hold her, to have her. He squeezed her hand.

"Follow me." He hissed, he shook his hand out of his grasp and walked opened his office door, he turned to make sure she was following him.

Ginny followed Severus down the empty stone corridor for a less than a minute before he stopped in front of a large medieval tapestry. He looked around carefully, the only other person in sight was Ginny. He muttered the password and the artwork rolled itself up to reveal a door behind it, he tapped the door with his wand and held it the door open so Ginny could walk in. He stepped into his sitting room and shut the door behind him.

"This way." He said with a flourish of his left hand, he placed his right hand on the small of Ginny's back and led her into his bedroom. It was much nicer than his room at home, it was decorated with rich green tapestries and silver ornaments on the dresser. His bed was a large queen size four-poster with deep emerald curtains hanging down. Severus turned to Ginny and begun to kiss her again. After five minutes of heated kissing he swept her into his arms and carried her over to his bed, laying her on it carefully. She pulled the elastic out of her hair and let it fan out and contrast the green bed covers. Severus parted her legs with his knee and settled himself on top of her, kissing her and caressing her. Slowly, he begun to undress her, and she undressed him. "I love you." He whispered, not completely naked and on top of her.

"I love you too." She hissed, the pain she felt from needing him rushed away as he slowly lowered into her.

* * *

Ginny stirred and Severus' eyes snapped open. The smallest amount of light peered through his curtains as a sullen reminder of the situation he had found himself.

"Ginny." He whispered, shaking her shoulder softly, she groaned and turned away from him. "Ginny." He hissed this time and she peeled her eyes open, and as soon as they met his own she jumped up.

"Shit." She cursed, looking around for her top. "What time is it?" She asked, looking around for her clothes. Severus turned around to look at his clock, glad to see that it was just on four o'clock. Ginny sat up and looked at the clock to. She jumped out of the bed and ran around the room, picking up her clothes and putting them on as she went. When she was dressed Severus stood up, his blanket wrapped around his waist loosely. He walked over to her and grabbed her arms, he pulled her close and kissed her softly.

"I have to tell you something, my love." He said firmly, she looked into his eyes and tears formed in her own chocolate ones.

"Please don't." She whispered, throwing her head back in disdain. "Not again." She turned and ran for the door.

"There is a secret passage just near here," She stopped "It is behind the statue of Olypma the Great. The password is Gippleweed. It will take you to the fifth floor beside transfiguration classroom four." He told her. She opened the door. "Good luck with the game." She shut the door behind her and sat on the edge of his bed, head in his hands.

* * *

Ginny threw the quaffle hard at Marianna, channelling her anger into the ball. Marianna caught it and swore at her, Ginny ignored it. Her team was playing at the top of their game, that is, except for Ginny. At first she was upset about Severus, but as time passed she became angry. She didn't understand why the war had to claim everyone she loved, why they all had to risk their lives.

Severus watched Ginny throw the quaffle around, he could tell she was angry. She had a mean scowl on her face and her team mates were feeling her anger when they caught the ball, he only hope her anger would fade. He had to leave again. He didn't know how long for, but he did know one thing, that he was to immerse himself among the death eaters again. Something which he was not looking forward too. He watched as Ginny's team mate Demelza Robins scored a goal and the quaffle was taken back to the centre of the pitch. The ball was tossed and Ginny slammed her body to the broom, accelerating so fast that the other chasers didn't have a chance to comprehend that the quaffle was available. Even though she was upset he noticed that she was still an amazing player, anger replaced determination, and it was her driving force. She sped towards the goal posts almost knocking the Hufflepuff chasers off their brooms. The Hufflepuff keeper Jameson tailed her every move but was knocked through the goal post with the quaffle as she threw the ball with all of her might. Severus flinched. He had hoped that she would have taken it better.

Ten minutes later the score was one hundred and thirty to seventy, Gryffindor's way. Gryffindor caught the snitch and consequently won the match. The game was a long one and Ginny walked into the change-room tired and angry. She pulled a bottle of water out of her locked and gulped some down.

"Hey Ginny…" Came Aneas voice from behind her, she turned around to face him.

"Yes?" She hissed.

"What's up?" He asked, placing his hand softly on her harm. She threw her broom on the floor.

"Get your hand off me." She growled before storming out of the room.

* * *

Ginny threw a pebble into the lake angrily. She had been sitting in the same place for over two hours, and Hazel had come by to ask her back to the common room for the party. She told Hazel that she wanted some time alone and she left. Ginny stood up slowly and turned, the dirt still on her face from the match. She ran towards the castle doors, her legs felt like lead. She threw the heavy oak doors open and headed towards the dungeon, the corridors empty. When she reached the tapestry outside Severus' room she snarled the password he had heard her say and pushed on the handle, relieved to find that he hadn't locked it. She walked into the small sitting room and slammed the door behind her.

"Who's there?" Came Severus' voice from behind his bedroom door. She walked over and pushed the door open, he looked at her, startled. "Ginny." He said, walking over to her. He pulled her body against his own and her anger melted away – replaced by a feeling of desolation. "I am so sorry." He whispered stroking her hair. She shook her head.

"I can't go through this again Severus. I can't!" He patted her on the back. Her tears seeped through his robes.

"You can Ginny, and you will. You are stronger than you think." He whispered, kissing her head softly.

"I can't stand it. I hate not knowing. I hate the waiting." She buried her head further into his chest. After a long while she pulled away from him, tears still flowing freely. "How long?" She asked.

"I don't know." He replied, she beat her fist against his chest.

"DON'T GIVE ME THAT!" She yelled "HOW LONG?" He grabbed her fist and kissed it.

"I do not know my love, I wish I could tell you." He whispered into her ear, he had to grab her quickly as she begun to collapse, he walked her over to his bed and sat down beside her.

"Please don't go." She begged, he looked away, her pain was too much for him to bear. He could stand to look at her tear and dirt stained face, her eyes red from all of the crying. He clasped her face with two hands and looked deep into her eyes.

"I will come back. I promise you. I don't know how long I will be gone but I can tell you that I will return." She tried to avoid his eyes. "Ginny, believe me, please. There is nothing more that I want than to come back to you. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I can't think of anything more painful than having to leave your side. Please Ginny, I will be back, I love you." He kissed her passionately and when he pulled away the side of her lips curled into a tiny smile.

"I love you too." He stared deep into her eye and then looked at her face.

"Look at you." He said, rubbing his thumb against some dirt on her cheek, she laughed. "You played an amazing game." He told her and she smiled her thanks. "You need to get cleaned up." He told her. She nodded and stood up.

"When are you going?" she asked.

"Monday." He replied. She nodded soberly and walked away from him for the second time that day.

* * *

Monday came and went, Ginny was unable to see Severus off. Each second that passed seemed an eternity, each morning she woke up wishing that he would return that day. Ginny sought refuge in the fact that she had not heard word of an attack, but, she could not hide away from the knowledge that she could not ask about Severus. She couldn't ask Dumbledore if he was still safe, alive even, and she couldn't send him an owl. Her evenings seemed dim without the constant detentions and remedial lessons and the excellent quidditch training sessions failed to make her smile. On many occasions people had expressed their relief that Severus was gone, and Ginny had often heard Hazel turning to them and telling the person to shut up. Ginny was thankful for that, but she knew that Hazel had begun to realise that there was more to Severus' absence than an international potions summit. Ginny wished so deeply that she could open up to her friend, tell her about Severus' trip, her family, why the war bothered her so much. Instead she found herself spending countless hours in the corner of the common room, by the lake and in the owlery. Ginny knew that the best way to cope with Severus' absence would be to stay with her friends, and have fun. She also knew that spending so much time alone, mulling over his absence, would allow her to think that perhaps he would be back soon, keep her hoping that she would wake up one morning and find him in the Great Hall.

It wasn't until two long and painful weeks later that she heard from him. On her seventeenth birthday. In the late evening a brown barn owl flew into her dormitory and dropped a present on top of the pile on her trunk that she hadn't had the energy to open or even look at. It was wrapped in deep green with a silver bow; it had to be from Severus. She scrambled over her bed and clutched the present in her hand, there was a small piece of parchment rolled up and tied to it. She unravelled it and recognized Severus' writing; her heart gave a nervous flutter.

_All is well. Happy birthday._

She couldn't help but feel delighted that he had written that all was well and she seriously hoped that it was true. She did however wish that there was more to the letter, but she guessed that it was best that he wrote as little as he possibly could in case the letter was intercepted. She puled on the delicate silver silk ribbon that was around the green velvet that the present was wrapped in. When she took the ribbon away the velvet fell onto her lap and revealed a weight silver metal box. It was engraved with pictures of magical creatures of all sorts and there was a small plaque at the top that had her name on it in the most wonderful writing. She opened it and inside there was a note and a pair of earrings. She picked up the earring and observed them carefully, they were plain gold with what looked like diamond drops, she smiled and clutched them tightly before picking up the note. When she did she realised that the inside of the box was curved and took on the appearance of a small bowl.

'Sometimes in such a tragic era there are some things that you need to get out of your mind. This is a pensieve. When you feel that your mind is too full place your wand tip to your head and remember what it is you wish to forget. Place the memory in this bowl and you will be able to access it at any time, in any place. Simply put the tip of your finger in the bowl to view a memory or put your wand tip in to retrieve it and place it back in you mind.'

Ginny looked at the small box and was thankful for the note she found inside. It was a marvellous idea and she was grateful that Severus thought of it. There were some things that she wished she didn't remember, and she planned to put them in the pensieve later that evening. First, she wanted to open the rest of her presents.

Ginny stood up, walked around to the end of the bed, and sat on her trunk. She looked at the pile and realised that there were a few more presents than usual, including the one from Severus. She looked down at the floor and one present caught her eye. She bent over and picked it up. She knew immediately what it was, there was almost no need to unwrap it. She had to wonder though who would send her a broom. She looked around and saw a card attached to the end of the package and tore it open.

_Dearest Ginny,_

_I would like to wish you a happy birthday and I would also like to say that I hope you are coping well with everything. Things aren't going too badly where I am but I can sense an end to all of this nonsense is not too far in the future. I hope that after all is said and done we can meet in better circumstances, and I look forward to that time. For now, I wish you all the best._

_Love,_

_Harry_

Ginny frowned and took the paper of the broom slowly, when the broomstick rolled onto the floor she bit her lip. It was Harry's firebolt. He loved that broom and it clearly meant so much to him. Ginny knew that Sirius gave it too him after his nimbus was ruined and she did not want to take it away from him. She was going to send him a letter and tell him that it was not necessary.

Before heading to the owlery Ginny opened the rest of her presents and scrawled thankyou notes to the people who sent them to her. With her present from Ron and Hermione there was also an invitation to their wedding and a letter telling her about the plans and asking for some opinions.

* * *

Ginny sat in the common room with Hazel and Colin who where busy talking to each other about the next week's visit at Hogsmeade. Ginny sat back and looked over the essay she just finished for charms. She yawned and Hazel looked over at her.

"Colin." She said interrupting him mid sentence, Ginny noticed that she did this a lot.

"Yes?" he asked trying hard not roll his eyes.

"I am tired. I am going to bed." She told him and grabbed Ginny's hand. She stood up and leant over to kiss Colin good night. Hazel then dragged Ginny up to her their and sat on her bed. "Happy birthday." She said, Ginny nodded and yawned again.

"Thanks Hazel. Do you mind if I go to sleep, I am tired?" She asked, Hazel tutted.

"Ginny, you are not going to bed until you tell me what is wrong." Hazel said softly. Ginny rolled her eyes and forced a smile.

"Hazel, there is nothing wrong." She said with an air of dismissal in her tone.

"Don't give me that Ginny. You have been moping around the castle for two weeks… you birthday even failed to cheer you up!" Hazel said simply, Ginny looked away from her, tempted to tell her everything.

"Hazel everything if fine." She hissed, Hazel knew it was a lie.

"Ginny, I am not your best friend for no reason. You can tell me what is wrong. Look, if it is because Snape is gone you don't need to be worried, he will be back soon enough and you can snog his lights out." Ginny stood up angrily.

"Are you that daft?" She asked, Hazel glared at her. "I wouldn't care if he had to go to a fucking wedding would I? Don't you think that I'd understand? Hazel he could get killed. Every time he leaves this god forsaken castle he risks being killed!" Hazel shook her head.

"Ginny, I know there have been a lot of attacks lately but they wouldn't dare attack England, our wizards are too powerful!" Ginny growled in frustration.

"Hazel, why do you think they are doing this? Why do you think they haven't attacked us yet? Do you really believe that it is because we are too strong? You have to be kidding me." Ginny stopped and took a few deep breaths, trying to regain her composure so she could not tell Hazel anymore.

"I don't know what to think Ginny because no one fucking tells me anything!" Hazel yelled, she stood up. "There is nothing in the newspaper about anything except the attacks. I don't even know that there is someone who is going to be there to defend us. No one will tell me anything. Not even you. I have nothing but hope. For Merlin's sake Ginny! What more can I do but hope?" Ginny screamed in frustration.

"I don't know anything either damn it! Don't you understand? I don't know a fucking thing! And even if I did I wouldn't know what to make of it! All that I do know is that everyone I love is outside the castle walls defending people who wouldn't even know who they were. Risking their lives for complete strangers. And all I can do about it is sit back here and write stupid fucking charms essays! How do you think I feel? Everyone I loved torn away from me because of the hell that this world is becoming!" Ginny opened her trunk angrily and rummaged through it to get some pyjamas.

"Don't lie to me Ginny! You do know something. You know more than I could ever hope to know, and yet, you wont tell me anything! Do you think that I like seeing you this pissed off? You think I enjoy seeing you mope around the castle? I can't do anything to help you. You don't tell me what is wrong so what else can I do?" Hazel yelled. Ginny turned to her.

"Perhaps I do know things that you don't know Hazel. Do you think I can tell you? Do you think I can tell anyone? There are things that I know that you wouldn't be able to imagine. I can't tell you though. I can't say anything!" Ginny pulled her pyjamas out of her trunk and slammed the lid back down angrily. "Merlin knows I want to." She hissed as she fell back onto her bed. Hazel sat down beside her and stroked her hair.

"Ginny, if you need to talk to me you can. You can tell me anything, you know that." Ginny looked at her and then looked away.

"I need to get some sleep." She said, Hazel stood up and stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind her.

Ginny wished that she could hold Severus and have him comfort her, tell her that everything is all right.

* * *

The next day there was a tension between Ginny and Hazel so thick that it could be cut with a knife. Ginny had still not received word from Severus. The only letter that she had gotten still sat in her pocket unopened. Her homework on her lap unfinished. She threw her head back in anguish – she needed to get her mind off things. Suddenly she remembered the pensieve that Severus had given her. She jumped up, parchment flying everywhere, and ran to her dormitory. She threw her trunk open and pulled the silver box out it before shutting the lid again. She opened the latch on the front of the box and then placed it on the top of her trunk. She took the earrings and the note out of it and pulled out her wand. Remembering her time in the chamber if secrets she put her wand to her head. Slowly she felt the memory's weight lifting from her heart and mind and she pulled the wand away from her, a delicate silver strand coming from it's tip. She steadied her hand and touched the bowl with the tip of her wand, the liquid pulled away from her wand and she smiled. She repeated the process time and time again. Each memory she pulled from her mind lifted some sort of sorrow and stress from her heart and allowed her to think more clearly.

When she was finished she closed the box with a small smile and picked up the earrings. They were stunning. She took the simple sleepers she had in her ears and fastened the ones that Severus gave her in their place.

* * *

Two days later Ginny started quidditch training up again, there had not been a single sessions since their last match. The pain of not knowing about Severus had not left her or died down, instead it throbbed in her heart more painfully, but she had tried to distract herself from it. She had decided to continue to teach the team more moves and by the end of the training sessions they were well worn out. She got changed amid the avid discussion of her team mates and grabbed Harry's firebolt before heading out of the room. She had send him four letters insisting that he kept his broom before he told her that if she didn't take it he would curse her so badly that she would be unconscious for three months. The broom was excellent, everything she imagined a firebolt would be. She stopped suddenly, the broom fell to the floor.

"Good evening Miss Weasley." Dumbledore said cheerfully, he looked at the broom and bent over to pick it up. "Ah, this is Harry's broom no doubt?" He asked, she nodded numbly "Very nice broom indeed." He looked it once over before handing it to her. "So, how have you been?" He asked. She shrugged.

"I…." She begun, but she didn't know what more to say. Her heart was slowly deflating, all the good thoughts seeping out. She didn't know why he was speaking to her now; he usually didn't approach her at school. But then again, he had never needed to before.

"You are not too well then? Why is that Miss Weasley?" he asked softly, blue eyes twinkling with concern.

"I…." She did it again, he smiled at her sympathetically. A few minutes passed before Ginny mustered up the courage to speak. "I-is everyone okay?" She asked, Dumbledore nodded. "Mum… Dad?" He nodded again.

"_Everyone _is fine." He told her, she looked away from him. Judging by the way he said everyone, he knew what she was thinking. "I understand that things are hard for you at the moment." He said, she stood still "But there is always a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow for those who dare to chase it for long enough. Just be patient miss Weasley. He will return." Before Ginny could ask what he meant he was out of her sight. He couldn't possibly know. Perhaps she meant Harry, maybe he thought that she was worried for Harry, perhaps he was on a mission of his own. She tried to shrug the comment off and walked back towards the castle as her heart pumped manically.

* * *

Snowflakes fell over the grassy greens of Hogwarts and the weather grew cold and the sky turned grey. Ginny's mood was a perfect reflection of the weather, it had been three full weeks since she had seen from Severus and all she knew was that the had send her a note stating that _all was well_, but she had begun to wonder if that letter was written before he left. That morning she received the Daily Prophet only to find that San Francisco in America had been attached. She did everything she could to stop herself from believing that Severus was a part of it. Ginny sat in the library reading about the great giant battle of 1605 when she heard feet pounding. She looked up to see Hazel running towards the table, she was meant to be at dinner. Since Severus left Ginny had only taken a few meals, the rest of the time she spent alone. So Hazel knew that she was likely to be in the library. Hazel finally reached the desk Ginny was seated at and hunched over clutching her chest and panting.

"Ginny." She puffed.

"Hazel, what is wrong?" Ginny asked standing up. Hazel shook her head and took a few seconds to recapture her breath.

"He is back." She whispered, Ginny's jaw dropped and she turned to leave. Hazel grabbed her arm and spun her around before she had an opportunity to take one step. "Ginny. I know that there is so much about your relationship that I don't understand, for that I am sorry, but I am glad he is back." She whispered "He just left the great hall."

"Was he with anyone?" She asked, Hazel shook her head and Ginny bolted out of the room.

Five minutes later Ginny was standing outside of Severus' dungeon tapetry, she whispered the password and tried to open the door, only to find it was locked. She banged it hard with her fist and just when she was just about to give up the door opened and Severus stood there wrapped in a towel, still dripping wet. Tears streamed from Ginny's eyes and she leapt at him. He caught her and spun her around in the air, kissing her passionately. Ginny's heart slowly begun to lighten and to soar. He was back, safe again. He was hers once more. He set her on the ground carefully and shut the door.

"I sent you an owl…" he said, she looked puzzled.

"Hazel told me." She panted "I had to see for myself." He smiled at her, she looked him up and down, scratches and bruises covered his body. The scar on his neck from last year still glistened painfully. "Are you okay?" She asked running her hand over his chest, basking in his warmth.

"I am fine." He smiled and pulled her into a hug "I have never been happier to see anyone in my life." He whispered before kissing her again.

After hugging in silence for quiet some time Severus led Ginny to the bedroom and sat her down on his bed, taking the space to the right of her as his own. He told her where he had gone, and that he had spent the time in the company of the Death Eaters. He had not had part in the attack on America, he had stayed at Malfoy manor and assisted Voldemort.

As Severus talked he could not take his eyes of the young girl that he had come to love. He was fascinated by her, her brown eyes, porcelain skin, flaming hair. He could smell her, that beautiful scent of flower and grass that was uniquely hers. When he finished speaking she looked up at him, tears glistening in her eyes. She kissed him softly at first, and then her kissed became more heated - more seductive. He stood up quickly and she looked heart broken.

"I am sorry my love, but I have to go. Professor Dumbledore wanted to see me." He said softly, he leapt into his arms and gripped him so tightly he feared that he would loose his breath. He pulled himself from her grip and she fell back onto his bed. He walked over to his dresser and gathered his clothes, then put them on. He walked over to her and took her hand and led her to the door in the sitting room. He gave her a soft peck on the lips before stepping back to look at her again, he raised his hand to her cheek and ran his thumb over it softly. "Are you going to Hogsmeade this weekend?" He asked, she shrugged "Meet me in the shrieking shack at twelve sharp." He kissed her again.

"But…" He put a finger to his lip.

"Don't worry, it is not haunted. Just meet me there okay?" She nodded numbly and he walked out of his room.

* * *

That weekend Ginny sat in the Three Broomsticks, enjoying a butterbeer with Colin and Hazel. She looked at the clock on the wall and nearly choked on her drink.

"Uh – I have to go." She muttered standing up, she threw a few knuts on the table.

"Do you want us to come?" Hazel asked.

"No thanks Hazel." Ginny said with a smile and walked out of the room.

Ginny walked up the icy hill that led to the shrieking shack, the cold wind making her shiver despite the many layers of clothes she had pulled close to her body. She looked up at the tacky wooden shack and bit her lip. For her entire life she had heard that it was the most haunted building in all of Brittain, and her common sense told her not to go within a hundred meters of it. Surely Severus would not have told her to go there if it was so badly haunted. She swallowed her anxiety and pushed the gate open, it screeched menacingly but she told herself it was only because it was so old. She followed the iced over cobblestone path to the door and looked around to make sure no one was watching her. She took a deep breath and pushed it open. A wall of warmth hit her and she stepped inside, shutting the door behind her. The room was furnished with old, tacky lounges and crumbling wooden hat stands and mantles.

"Severus?" She whispered, she saw Severus' head poke out from behind a door and she looked at him nervously. "Are you sure it is safe?" She asked, he nodded and beckoned her over.

"The village people only believed it to be haunted because this is where Lupin would come to transform when he was as Hogwarts." Ginny looked shocked and Severus laughed. He took her hand and led her up the stairs and into the room at the far end of the hall. She looked around and this room seemed very out of place in the house. There was a large antique bed in the centre of the room with deep purple bed covers and silk sheets. There were pure white candles scattered through the room burning brightly. There was a marvellous fire roaring in the ornate fireplace and at the opposite end of the room there were two old-fashioned armchairs with a table between them. Severus led her over to the chair and urged her to sit down. He lifted a plate of the table filled with chocolate-coated strawberries and other delightful sweets. She took a strawberry with a smile and he sat down in the other chair. "I am so sorry that I haven't been able to talk to you since Friday." He said "But Dumbledore wanted me to spend as much time at the headquarters as I could yesterday." Ginny nodded and took another look around.

"Did you fix it up?" She asked gesturing to the room, he nodded. "You did a wonderful job." He reached across the small table and clasped her hand.

"How have you been?" He asked, she shrugged. "I thought as much. I am sorry that I was unable to be in contact with you since your birthday." He said.

"Thankyou very much for the present." Ginny said graciously "You have no idea how much it meant to me." Severus shrugged.

"I thought that you might need to clear your mind." He lifted her hand to his mouth and kissed it gently. "I missed you severely when I was gone." He whispered. They inched closer together and after a few charged moments their lips came together in a passionate kiss. Severus stood up and walked around to where Ginny was seated. He took her hand and helped her to her feet before walking her over to the bed. He kissed her as he lowered her down carefully, his body wanting to consume hers. He wanted to take her as his own, make up for the time he spent away. Ginny moaned softly as his lips travelled down her neck, her chest, her stomach. This was the first time that Severus had made the first move and seduced Ginny. She had always had to make the suggestion, kiss him first. Now he took control and she liked it, she enjoyed knowing that he needed her, mind and body. He slipped his knee between her legs and parted them before placing himself against her he kissed her neck passionately, careful not to leave a mark. Ginny brought her hands up to the collar of his robes and began to unbutton them, he abandoned his fervent kissing to return the favour.

As their clothes dropped to the floor and their bodies united the snow outside the shrieking shack begun to fall heavier, telling all who noticed that it would soon be Christmas time. Ginny and Severus were content to lay with each other for three hours after they made love, very few words passing between them. The candles scattered across the room burnt low and the light that was peering through the curtains from outside begun to fade.

Severus kissed Ginny on the forehead softly and stroked her hair, she looked up at him and smiled her sweetest smile.

"Before I left, when I said I wanted to spend the rest of my life with you…" Severus begun softly, Ginny's eyes twinkled "I meant it." She buried her head in his chest and closed her eyes. There was nothing for her to say. He brought his hand down and placed it on her chin so he could lift her face up and see her eyes. "I am sorry." He whispered, worried that his comments scared her. She shook her head and a tear slid down her cheek.

"There is no need to be sorry." She told him with a smile "I just didn't know what to say." He looked away from her "Severus, look at me. I love you, and I feel whole when I am with you." She pecked him on the lips "I cant imagine anything more wonderful than spending my life with you." He smiled back at her and hugged her tightly. Ginny knew too well that while she was still at school they couldn't take their relationship any further, but she intended to move further with him when she was finished, and now she knew that he felt the same way. "For now though," she begun looking at her watch on the bedside table "I am afraid that it is getting late, we should get back to Hogwarts." Severus nodded before kissing her again, stroking her hair lovingly.

* * *

A/N: There you have it, chapter number 19. Well, that chapter was a little longer than I originally wanted it to be but I didn't want to break up the action of this chapter. The next chapter is planned out and will be posted soon, so thankyou for reading.

Special Thanks to,

**Rosco36908: **Thanks for the review, I appreciate it very much. Here is the next chapter, I hope I didn't keep you waiting for too long! Take care!

**Mistress of Eternity:** Thanks for reviewing. Was the last chapter really that short? It was one of the longest chapters. Aw well, this one is hopefully long enough for you, I must say it was a killer to write. About Arthur and Molly though, I just figured that since Arthur was such good friends with Moody, and Dumbledore that there might be more to it. Sorry about the attack on Russia too, but they had to attack somewhere, and don't worry, my own country was the first to be hit. Igloo you say? Wow, your friend is funny. My uncle is obsessed with Canada, he went over there twice and his everything he says now is "In Canada they…." He even had the nerve to insult the Australian style of Christmas, and my cousin actually told him to go and live in Canada if he liked it so much! It seems like a beautiful place, and if I am right it snows there… so lucky to see snow! And don't you dare say you bombarded my review paged, it was definitely nice to get such a long review, I like the long ones! Hope you enjoyed this chapter.

**Maddudewalking: **Yes, Hazel is still at school, sorry to confuse you! Severus just doesn't get it does he? Ginny wants detentions. Ha ha. Typical male. It would be cool to find out that Molly and Arthur were aurors, wouldn't it? It would make a lot of sense. Thanks for reading and reviewing!  
**Anglic Bladez:** Thankyou veru much for your review, I hope you enjoyed this chapter as well!

**HarryGinnyfan23:** Thankyou for wishing me luck, I think I did need it actually. There were times during this chapter when I just thought… eh. But here it is now, and it is good to finally have gotten it finished. I hope you enjoyed it!

**I Love Nerds 919:** Thankyou, I have updated and I hope you enjoy this chapter!

**Something – l1k3 – LAuGhTeR: **Yeah, Fred and George are great, I think I will be using them again soon, they are hilarious. Have you seen the fourth movie yet? They are great in that. I think that my new favourite ship is gw/ss now. I think it would be so cool if they could get together, they are great! Thanks for reading and reviewing!

Love,

Atalanta Zora

(Sinister Spiders)


	20. Grieve and Dance

Warning: This chapter contains some content not suitable for people under sixteen.

The Midnight Hour

**CHAPTER TWENTY: **Grieve and Dance

"I can't imagine anything more wonderful than spending my life with you." He smiled back at her and hugged her tightly. "For now though," she begun looking at her watch on the bedside table "I am afraid that it is getting late, we should get back to Hogwarts." Severus nodded before kissing her again, stroking her hair lovingly.

* * *

Ginny trudged into the Gryffindor common room, her robes and socks thoroughly soaked thanks to the unrelenting snow she met on the way back from Hogsmeade. When she entered the room she looked around and saw Hazel and Colin making out in a corner, Ginny grinned and walked over to them, plonking herself on the floor in front of them. 

"How are you?" She asked, they broke apart and Hazel shot a glare in her direction. Ginny's mind was still racing from her afternoon with Severus. She didn't think that he had considered what would happen after she left Hogwarts, but she knew that she did. Although she couldn't see exactly where their relationship would lead them she did hope that Severus intended to stay with her for a long while, and what he said to her confirmed her hopes. He wanted her just as badly as she wanted him.

"Good thankyou." Hazel replied scathingly. "Where did you get off to this afternoon?" she asked, Ginny grinned.

"Oh, just doing some Christmas shopping." She lied, Hazel rolled her eyes and turned her attention back to her boyfriend.

"So, what did you two end up doing?" Ginny asked, Hazel pulled away from Colin again and glared at Ginny.

"We ended up finding a room in the back of the Three Broomsticks and shagging the lights out of each other!" Hazel growled sarcastically, Ginny smiled happily.

"Sounds fascinating, please, go on." Hazel picked up the pillow from the chair beside her and aimed it at Ginny's head. Ginny laughed and stood up heading for her dormitory,

"Good to see you are feeling better." Colin called after her before Hazel pulled him into a kiss.

When Ginny reached her bed she found Seraphina there waiting for her with a letter from Ron and Hermione. She sighed and broke the seal on the envelope.

_Dear Ginny,_

_This is just a short letter to inform you about the wedding plans that your brother and I have made. As I mentioned earlier there will be two ceremonies, one at a church not too far from my house for my muggle family and friends, and a second ceremony back at Headquarters for everybody else (including my parents). I don't know if you aware of this yet, but the majority of my family are not aware of the fact that I am a witch, frankly they wouldn't believe it. So, it is important to note, that I will not want any magic at the church ceremony. If anybody asks, Ron and I met at St. Liam's Boarding School for the Academically Gifted._

Ginny laughed… Ron? Academically gifted. She shook her head in amusement and continued reading.

_In regards to what you will wear, Harry and I thought that green would best suit you both, so I have got a few dresses for you to choose from. They are all gorgeous and I am sure you will agree. _

_There isn't going to be a formal style reception, instead your mother has offered to cook a meal for the guests at the magical ceremony. If you wish, you can make a speech before we eat, but that is entirely up to you. Ron also wants me to tell you that he thinks you should consider going out with Harry, personally I think that this is none of our business, but Ron said he would hex me if I didn't write it._

_Apart from the wedding, things are going relatively well here given the circumstances. I am sure Harry has told you that we are making progress, but I assure you that all will not be resolved for a while yet. In the mean time I urge you to stay safe and take care of yourself._

_Love,_

_Ron and Hermione_

P.S. Please find enclosed some photos of the possible dresses I have chosen from. If you wish you can choose one of them and write back to me with your choice!

Ginny scoffed at Hermione's idea of a short letter, but was nonetheless excited when she looked at the photos of the dressed that Hermione had chosen for her. The colours ranged from a pale baby green to a deep, almost black, emerald. She looked at them quickly before stowing the photo's in her trunk, deciding that she would have a nice hot bath.

* * *

The next evening Ginny sat in the potions classroom and waited for Severus to arrive. He was running fifteen minutes late for their remedial potions lesson and Ginny had grown bored of waiting. She took the photos of the dressed out of her pocket and observed them more closely, there were five in total. She looked at one and stuck her tongue out in disgust, her mother must have insisted that Hermione suggest it. It was an ugly diarrhoea green dress, which had long baggy sleeves gathered at the wrist, it also had a high collar edged with a terrible light green lace. She sighed and tossed the photo on the desk, she would rather go naked than wear that. She laid the rest of the photos on the desk and compared them side by side. She decided against two of them and put them aside, they seemed to plain and she didn't think that the colours would suit her well. 

"That one." Severus said tapping the middle photo from behind her, she jumped at the sound of voice and turned to face him. "For Ron and Hermione's wedding no doubt." He drawled, she nodded and kissed him on the cheek. "I am sorry I am late but Professor McGonagall wanted to have a word with me."

"You like that one?" Ginny asked, Severus nodded.

"Although I don't know if my judgement is trustworthy. I am hardly the guru on fashion." Ginny looked at the dress again and smiled, it was the nicest out of the three.

"How did you know what it was for?" She asked.

"I received an invitation by owl this morning." He explained. She grinned.

"Are you going to come?" She asked, he shook his head.

"No, I don't particularly care for weddings." He told her, she did her best to look flabbergasted.

"Severus! Don't be silly. You should come, if not for them, come for me." He laughed.

"We will not spend any time together anyway." He said evenly.

"That doesn't matter, I want you to be there." She insisted, Severus rolled his eyes and looked at her. Judging by the scowl on her face she wasn't going to give in

"Fine." He hissed. She grinned.

"So, how was your day then my love?" she asked, he told her about the annoying first years and how they insisted on throwing boomslang at each other.

An hour later, after much talking and kissing, Severus said goodbye to Ginny and retired to his room. While he was away he spent most of his time in the company of death eaters, and as much as he hated it, he learned of their plans. Of course he had already told Dumbledore all he could remember but he couldn't quell the nagging sensation in the pit of his stomach. He knew that it wouldn't be too long before Voldemort and Harry fought to end the war. He also knew that there would be death and destruction before then. Severus' mind drifted to thoughts of the previous day's encounter with Ginny. For the entire time that he was away she was all he could think about, her voice the only one he could hear. He knew that he loved her more than anyone else he had ever known, but he wished that he could show her how much she meant to him. He was even going to a damned wedding for her. Severus had always hated weddings of every kind – magical and non-magical. Some of his most prominent childhood memories stemmed from the weddings of relatives, and the drunken raves his father was seduced into after attending them and drinking far too much alcohol. Severus also guessed that the best man, and Ginny's partner for the evening would be Harry Potter, which presented him with another reason for not going to the wedding. He did not wish to see Ginny on the arm of the son of one of his most disliked rival's.

* * *

The next morning Ginny sat in her History of Magic class rushing to finish and essay before the bell rung. It was a boring essay which Binns had said was to be finished for homework if not completed in class time and Ginny had a quidditch practise training session scheduled, not to mention her plan to talk to Severus using the two-way mirror. She lost her train of thought at the sound of a beak tapping on glass and looked up to the window to see a large brown owl bearing a letter waiting impatiently at the window. Mirial, a Ravenclaw jumped up to open the window and the owl flew in, hooted, dropped a letter in front of the head girl and swooped back out of the room. Iome, the head girl and best friend of Mirial opened the letter eyeing it questioningly, the entire gaze of the class upon her. After reading for a few seconds she let out a loud cry of distress and ran out of the room in tears, her friend following closely behind. The students looked at each other in confusion and a Ravenclaw boy picked the letter up off the floor, his face paled as he read it. 

"There has been another attack." He announced, "On Barcelona in Spain." A wild chatter spread across the room, it was well known that Iome had relatives in this area. Ginny closed her eyes and put her head in her hands. This wasn't good.

* * *

At dinner that evening Ginny's suspicions about what happened to Iome's family were confirmed. Her aunty and grandfather had been murdered by death eaters and the poor girl had been pulled out of school to attend the funeral. Ginny's friend Felicity had been especially disturbed by the news and was taken to Dumbledore's office in hopes that he could calm her down. 

Ginny looked across at the teachers table and caught Severus' eye, he frowned at her before turning back to Professor McGonagall and continuing his conversation. Ginny looked at Hazel who sat at the table eating her mashed potato soberly.

"I hate it." Hazel spat, Ginny managed a weak smile.

"So do I Hazel, so do I." She muttered.

* * *

That evening at quidditch practise Ginny managed to teach her team mates more moves that would come in handy for the match that they would have against Ravenclaw before the Christmas holidays. She was extremely happy with the way the team was working, and clearly, they were too. Ginny realised that it was easier for her to teach chasers moves than it had been for Harry because he was a seeker. She intended to teach her fellow chasers one more move, saving one for the match against Slytherin and one for the final, should they get in. Judging by their win against Hufflepuff and Slytherin's loss to Ravenclaw their chances were looking good, but Ginny hardly thought it wise to become complacent. 

She put Harry's firebolt under her bed and went for a shower before sitting down on her four-poster and pulling the curtains around her and taking out her two-way mirror. She took out her wand and said a silencing spell before calling for Severus. After a few minutes he appeared, and it looked as though he himself had just come out of the shower.

"How are you mu love?" He asked, she shrugged.

"I'm alright." She replied. She thought for a moment. "Do you know if there are going to be any more attacks?" She asked, Severus looked down.

"Nothing is set in stone my love." He drawled, she laughed a cold laugh. A sad laugh. He couldn't tell her about the plans of the death eaters. "It is for your own safety." He told her "The last thing I want is someone finding out you know more than you should. It would be putting you in unnecessary danger." She rolled her eyes.

"Okay then." She growled, searching her mind for a topic to inspire a more joyful conversation.

* * *

The next morning when Ginny arrived in the Great Hall for some breakfast she was confronted by the frenzied discussion of students. She sat down at the Gryffindor table and saw a copy of the Daily Prophet on the table. She picked it up and then threw it back down in disgust. Quebec in Canada had been attacked. Ginny looked around in annoyance and stood up, walking out of the hall without any breakfast. She was hardly in the mood. 

Later that day Ginny sat in potions class, thinking up the best possible way to get a detention. Her thoughts were interrupted by a Slytherin boy by the name of Peter. She glared up at him.

"What do you want O'Malley?" She spat, he grinned slyly.

"See that cauldron over there?" He asked, pointing to the one that Kyrrin was stirring, a malevolent smile on her face.

"I am not blind O'Malley. Get to the point." He laughed.

"Kyrrin was wondering whether you wanted it. Or rather, she wondered if you would be interested in drinking it's contents." Ginny rolled her eyes.

"And why didn't Kyrrin come over here and ask for herself?" She growled, he patted her on the hand.

"She doesn't think that her mother would appreciate her talking to a blood traitor." Peter whispered. Ginny got out of her seat and walked over to Kyrrin's cauldron, Hazel close behind her.

"What are you brewing?" She asked feigning interest, Kyrrin smiled up at her.

"Why don't you take a taste of it and see." Ginny laughed. She observed the ugly brown liquid.

"Do you really think that I don't know what a-" Ginny was cut off mid sentence by a hand clasping over her mouth and two more holding her arms behind her back. She struggled hard to try and get away but the people holding her were too strong. She could hear Hazel screaming from behind her. She struggled harder as she saw Kyrrin scoop up a ladle full of potion and force her mouth open. She heard Severus walking over, yelling at his Slytherin student. He arrived to late to stop it, the liquid poured into Ginny's mouth faster than she could swallow and she fell to the floor, her body convulsing rapidly.

"YOU STUPID GIRL!" Severus yelled, taking his wand out and pulling it at Kyrrin, who stopped laughing. "WHAT TYPE OF POTION IS THAT?" He yelled. Kyrrin swallowed and stepped back. He peered into the cauldron before bending down and looking at Ginny. She was now starting to convulse more fiercely and he placed a hand on her wrist, feeling for her pulse. The potion as called Neovari. It was a vile potion that made the drinker convulse and go into an unconscious state where they would be forced to relive their worst moments in life. Severus ran to the front of the room and searched through his cabinet for an antidote, he picked up a small orange bottle, it would stop the effect of a badly made Neovari potion well enough. He rushed back to Ginny and slid his hand under her head carefully, waiting for a moment between convulsions to pour the liquid down her throat. For a few horrible seconds Ginny fell limp in his arms, eyes closed. When her eyes fluttered open he saw the rage behind them. He stood back, placing a hand on her arm, but she jumped up and rounded on Kyrrin, pulling her wand out of her robes.

"Professor…" Kyrrin whispered weekly, Severus looked between the two girls.

"Miss Weasley," Severus begun but Ginny interrupted him.

"Do you think that was funny Kyrrin?" Ginny hissed, Kyrrin looked at Severus desperately.

"Ginevra." Severus hissed, he placed a hand on her wand arm and she slapped it away.

"DO YOU THINK THAT WAS FUNNY YOU STUPID FOOL?" Ginny yelled, Kyrrin pulled out her own wand, trembling in fear. Before Severus could stop her Ginny continued to yell. "WHY DON'T YOU GO AND FUCK YOURSELF YOU INBRED WHORE?" Ginny yelled, Kyrrin gasped and her face went red, but before Ginny could curse her Severus had snatched her wand off her.

"DETENTION!" He yelled. "Both of you." Ginny turned to him and glared "And one hundred points of Slytherin." Kyrrin glared at him too.

"But Professor…" She begun.

"SILENCE!" He yelled.

* * *

That evening Ginny's anger with Kyrrin had all but subsided and when she had arrived at the dungeon for detention she was in the right frame of mind to tell her off. She walked into the classroom and looked around. The room was empty except for Severus. He got out of his seat and ran over to her, he pulled her close to him. 

"Are you okay?" He asked, stroking her hair. She melted into his embrace and forgot that she was angry. "That is one of the most vile potions." He whispered, she nodded "Don't worry, what you experienced wasn't real." He reassured her, she bit her lip. Even though she had placed her memory of the chamber of secrets into the pensieve it still came back to haunt her when she swallowed that potion. The visions of the dead chickens, stunned cats and Voldemort flooded back into her mind, seeming more real than ever before.

"Where is she?" Ginny asked, he kissed her softly before pulling away from her.

"She is serving detention with Professor Dumbledore. Let me assure you that she has not gotten off lightly." Ginny nodded. She should have known better than to pour that love potion of Kyrrin, she should have known that she would get her revenge. "And it would serve you well to put the memory of today's lesson into your pensieve." Ginny looked up at him and kissed him.

"Make love to me." She whispered, he took her hand and led her to his room.

An hour and a half later Ginny walked back into the potions classroom to collect her bag with Severus. She saw a note on his desk and picked it up.

_Severus,_

_I came by to tell you that Kyrrin will not be suspended, but we have put her on probation, as todays events were a clear violation of school rules. I assumed that you went to the potions store with Miss Weasley to retrieve some ingredients, but I did not have time to wait for you, nor the energy to look for you._

_Albus_

Ginny bit her lip as she handed the note to Severus, he swore under his breath. Ginny had a feeling that Dumbledore had begun to suspect their relationship. After a brief goodbye she went back to her common room, worried about the prospect of the headmaster finding out about her relationship with the potions master.

* * *

The sun shone brightly on the snow-covered quidditch pitch but there was a chill in the air despite the best conditions. It was the day of the Gryffindor versus Ravenclaw match and also the last weekend before the Christmas Holidays. The Gryffindor's trudged onto the pitch confidently, the conditions were perfect and their latest training sessions had been successful. Ginny walked over to the Ravenclaw captain Mirial and shook her hand. Ginny had talked to the girl on many occasions and knew that she was extremely bright, and using Ravenclaw's win against Slytherin, she knew she was in for a tough game. 

Severus sat in the stands with his cloak pulled tightly around him. He watched as the quaffle was thrown into the air and Ravenclaw took possession. Luna Lovegood commenced her commentary.

"Timmonds in possession, passed to Riley, to Timmonds. Oh, intercepted by Weasley, passes to- sorry, fakes a pass and catches it. Wow, that is almost as bad as having Weasley back on the team, I mean Ron. Weasley flies into the scoring area, throws the ball to Robins who is in midfield. Quaffle intercepted by Riley."

Ginny swore loudly, they had not managed to pull the move off. At some time she would have to change the postitions to make them closer, which would hopefully allow them to pull off the trick.

Ravenclaw scored and Ginny called a time out. Her team mates crowded around her. She told them of their change of tactics. She had been wrong about how she thought Ravenclaw would play.

"Do you think such a radical change is wise?" Aneas asked, Ginny nodded.

"Yes. Do the complete opposite of what we did in training. I want to confuse them."

Severus watched as the game started up after Ginny's time out. Five minutes into play he realised that they had entirely reversed their strategy, amazing the entire crowd. It was rare for a team to change their plans so much and Severus didn't remember Ginny telling him about such a plan. He smiled at her genius as the confounded Ravenclaw team failed to save four goals within fifteen minutes.

Ginny hooted as the Ravenclaw keeper missed the quaffle. She wheeled around to high five her teammates. Her plan to change tactics worked really well, if she knew her well enough, Ginny could be sure that Mirial had planned and trained only one style of playing for this match. Before she could comprehend what had happened Mena zoomed around the pitch, snitch clutched tightly in her hand. Ginny clapped and cheered, doing a glory lap with her fellow players.

"That has to be one of the most revolutionary strategies ever seen at Hogwarts!" Luna was yelling "After this match what will the Gryffindors do next? I feel sorry for Slytherin, they have no chance of knowing what to expect- Weasley is unpredictable!"

That evening the partying in the Gryffindor common room raged through the night. It wasn't until a sullen looking Professor McGonagall walked into the common room the students begun to quieten down. She called for silence and Ginny knew that she had more on her agenda than stopping her partying.

"While I regret to interrupt your much-deserved celebration," she called loudly in her most serious voice "I have been charged with the responsibility of conveying some incredibly shocking news to you." Ginny looked to Hazel at her left and bit her lip. "Tonight there was a double attack." All remnants of the partying that continued during her invasion came to an abrupt halt, students looking at each other completely distraught. Professor McGonagall cleared her throat before continuing, "So far the death toll has reached one hundred and ninety eight, but more casualties are pouring in." Ginny had to close her eyes, dizziness threatening to overwhelm her. "The attacks occurred in Hamburg, Germany." She hesitated "and in Dublin, Ireland" A great number of students begun to scream, and some sobbed. Professor McGonagall continued "there are some Professors waiting in the Great Hall for those with families in the effected areas. I urge you to go there if you have any questions." Before she could finish students began to run out of the common room. She waited a few moments before addressing the remainder of the students. "I know it will be hard, but I urge you to get some rest. When you wake up in the morning I ask you to do what you can to comfort your friends." She sniffed before turning and walking out of the room. Ginny turned to Hazel who looked shocked.

"Let's get some sleep." Ginny whispered weakly, taking her friend by the arm and walking her to their dormitory.

* * *

The next morning Ginny was woken by a house elf. When the little creature had woken up all of the girls in her dorm it cleared it's throat. 

"Professor Dubledore wants all students to go to the Great Hall immetieately." It squeaked before running out of the room. Ginny stood up and tugged on her dressing gown. She waited for her friends to do the same before heading down to the Great Hall.

Hundreds of students sat at their House tables, most with red eyes, some still crying hysterically. Ginny looked around, her heart aching to see so many people upset. When the last group of Hufflepuffs took their place at their House table Dumbledore stood up, looking weary, but as powerful as ever.

"I have no doubt that you have all heard of the events of last night." He begun, addressing the student body in a melancholy tone. "It has been brought to my attention that the majority of students have been personally touched by the most recent attacks. Therefore, those students who need to will be allowed to leave school this afternoon. The Hogwarts Express will leave at four o'clock sharp. If you need to go home, you can gain permission of your head of house. Also, classes for today are cancelled." He looked around the room. "Before I stand down I must tell you all one thing." Ginny observed him with anticipation "Lord Voldemort has indeed returned, and as much as I regret to say it, he and his army pose a very real threat. In dark times such as these you should look to your close friends for comfort, and you must also look into your hearts to find courage. This war will touch many more of us before it is over, and I can assure you it will be brutal. But once more I encourage all of you to have faith, salvation comes to those who have stay true." Dumbledore looked around once more before taking his seat at the teacher's table. With a wave of his hand breakfast appeared on the tables and the students begun to chatter to each other.

Ginny felt Hazel grab her hand nervously and she looked at her friend. Hazel's eyes were wide and her skin was pale.

"Will this ever end?" She whispered, Ginny frowned at her sadly before turning her attention to a discolouration on the table.

* * *

Ginny sat on the lounge in Severus' sitting room, staring at him, expression vacant. More than half of the students had left that day and Ginny could feel the emptiness of the school in her own heart. 

"Did you know?" She asked. He nodded and she glared at him. "You knew and you didn't do anything to help?" He stood up, anger surging through him.

"What could I do? I warned the Order Ginny, I told them about the attacks, but I nor them knew how powerful the Death Eaters would be. It came as a shock to all of us, but I can tell you that innocent people weren't the only ones on the death toll. Over fourty of the people who died were death eaters Ginny." She looked at him distraught. She wanted to ask whether her parents had been there but she knew better than that. If they were there it would only make her panic more. She all of her might to control herself, stop herself from asking the question that threatened to spill out of her mouth.

* * *

On Saturday morning the students that had remained at Hogwarts made their way down to Hogsmeade station to go home for the Christmas. The weather was an appropriate reflection of their gloomy disposition and once on the train Ginny and Hazel shared a carriage with only two other students from the year. The rest of the seventh year Gryffindors, including Colin, had returned home earlier that week. There was an uncomfortable silence for most of the trip. After the lady selling sweets came by Hazel threw Ginny a Pumpkin pastie. 

"Ron and Hermione are getting married these holidays aren't they?" She asked softly, Ginny nodded. She forgotten about the wedding in the midst of the attacks and a smile crept on to her face. Happy that there was still some beauty in the world.

The rest of the train ride home was spent on a stretched conversation about the wedding and quidditch tactics for the game against Slytherin. Ginny stepped off the Hogwarts Express relieved to see her mother waiting for her with open arms. She ran over and hugged her mother tightly.

"Is everyone okay?" Ginny whispered, Molly shook her head,

"We lost two Ginny, but no one you know." Ginny nodded, happy to feel the warmth of her mother.

* * *

Back at Grimmauld Place there was a bitter-sweet mood in the air. While people were dealing with the loss of loved ones, there was also an excitement buzzing through the air about the wedding the next weekend. Dinner was served early that evening and Ginny found much pleasure in eating a meal her mother had prepared. After dinner Ginny, Harry, Ron, Hermione and Mrs. Weasley all went to the lounge room for a discussion. Ginny sat on the lounge beside her mother. After a while Hermione spoke. 

"Molly, are you sure that we should not postpone it?" She asked timidly, Molly shook her head viciously.

"Don't be silly Hermione dear, everyone needs some reason to celebrate. A lot of people are looking forward to the wedding." Molly said encouragingly, Hermione nodded doubtfully and clutched Ron's hand. Ginny looked at her brother, his fiancée and Harry. They all looked much older than they had the last time she saw them, more tired, exhausted even. She had no doubt that their own fight against Voldemort had been strenuous, and that it was far from over. Their eyes twinkled with a tragic wisdom that often came to those who had fought in a war.

"Gin, at the church wedding one of Hermione's cousin is going to be a bridesmaid as well, is that alright?" Ron asked, Ginny nodded.

"Of course." She said confidently.

"There will be a rehearsal for both ceremonies on Wednesday" Hermione told her "And before we go to bed I want you and Harry to try your outfits on in case any alterations need to be made." Ginny smiled and Hermione continued.

An hour later the conversation ended and Ginny followed Hermione back to her room. Ginny's mother had insisted that Hermione and Ron have different rooms until the wedding had taken place, the notion made Ginny laugh. She highly doubted that having separate rooms would prevent them from making love, she herself had caught Hermione leaving Ron's room on occasion. Harry must have followed Ron, because when Hermione opened her cupboard there was only Ginny's dress in it.

"Where is your dress?" Ginny asked Hermione, looking forward to seeing it.

"It will be with madam Malkin until Wednesday, she just needs to put some finishing touches on it." Ginny couldn't help but feel slightly disappointed. "Here is your dress." Hermione pulled the elegant green gown out of her cupboard and held it up for Ginny to see. "Personally, I was hoping you would choose this one. Your mother wanted you to wear the sewage green dress robes." Ginny and Hermione looked at each other before bursting into s fit of giggles. When Hermione regained her composure she handed Ginny the dress and told her that once it was on she was to come to the drawing room. Hermione shut the door behind her and Ginny pulled her jeans off and unbuttoned her shirt. She laid the dress on her bed before unzipping it. Once it was on, she did her best to zip it up, though she couldn't reach the rest of the way. She looked in the mirror. The dress was a dark bottle green and the silky material just touched the floor. It was fitted from the waist down like a fish tail skirt and had a long split up the left side. The top part of the dress clung to Ginny's womanly curves perfectly in an elegant yet stylish manner. She took the elastic out of her hair and shook her head around, allowing some strands to fall on her face. She smiled. There was a knock at the door.

"Come in." She called, the door opened and Harry, dressed in a black suit with a green silk shirt that matched her dress, walked in. He looked at her and smiled.

"You look amazing." He said, slightly breathy. Ginny smiled her thanks.

"So do you." She looked around the room awkwardly, aware of his eyes drifting over her body. "Let's go." She said, she walked out of the room and headed towards the stairs without waiting for him. He reached out and put a hand on her shoulder, she turned to face him.

"Your zipper…" He said, she blushed.

"Would you?" She asked.

"My pleasure." He replied, his fingers brushed on her bare back as he pushed her hair away, she shivered as he zipped her dress the rest of the way, his hands lingered on her back.

"Thanks." She said before walking off again. He grabbed her arm this time and pulled her closer to him.

"Ginny." He whispered, she looked away. He would have none of it. He cupped her face and held it so that her eyes were in line with his. "I love you." She looked away from him again, her heart ached to hurt him. "Ginny please…" She shook her head defiantly,

"I am sorry Harry, I can't love you." She whispered, he pulled his hand away from her quickly.

"After the war?" He asked hopefully.

"No, Harry. I am afraid it will never be." She said as sympathetically as possible. He looked at her, eyes twinkling with pain.

"Is there someone else?" He asked, this wasn't the first time. She couldn't possibly tell him that she was with Severus. She bit her lip before speaking.

"No." She lied "I just cant." He opened his mouth and shut it again a number of times before heading downstairs, she followed him swiftly.

When Ginny walked into the drawing room her mother gasped and brought her hands to her mouth.

"Ginny, you look beautiful!" She said, tears coming to her eyes, Ginny laughed.

"Mum, don't be silly." Ginny said, her mother wiped the tears away and gave a brave smile.

"It is just that you look so grown up!" She whispered. Hermione stepped between the two women and observed Ginny carefully, walking around her once before nodding with approval.

"Just as you said Molly, no tailoring needed." Hermione tugged on the dress in places and when she was satisfied she walked over to Harry. She did the same thing to him and his suit seemed fine as well.

"You will just need to bring the cuffs of the jacket up a bit dear." Molly said walking over to Harry and folding the cuff of his jacket in. She took a step back and smiled.

"Harry, you look very handsome." She said, Harry smiled his gratitude.

"Stand together." Hermione said with a wave of her hand. Harry looked at Ginny timidly. "Oh, grow up!" She hissed before pushing Harry over to Ginny. She grinned even more now. "You look like the perfect couple!" Hermione said chirpily. She looked at Ron for his opinion and he shrugged, she rolled her eyes.

"Harry dear, put your arm around Ginny." Molly suggested, Ginny glared at her mother and she felt Harry's arm slowly drape around her waist, he left it there for a few moments before pulling it back like a wounded animal.

"What do you think Ronald?" Hermione asked forcefully.

"Yeah, pretty good." He grunted, Ginny knew he couldn't have cared less.

"You are free to go!" Hermione said, Ginny walked over to her and motioned for her to unzip the dress a little. Before she reached the door Ron cleared his throat, Ginny turned around to see what he wanted. Molly elbowed him.

"You look alright Gin." He said with a smile.

"Thanks Ron, so do you." Ginny joked, Ron went red and she raced back to her room.

* * *

The next four days passed rather uneventfully. Ginny had been holed up in Grimmauld place like she had been during her previous holidays, and the tension grew thicker every time she saw Harry. Members of the order were coming by at all hours of the day, and Ginny got used to hearing footsteps in the middle of the night. She had only managed to talk to Severus using the mirror briefly on two occasions, and he had graced the headquarters with his presence once. All she had received from him was a polite nod. 

Ginny sat in what Hermione called a taxi and was on her way to the church to practise Hermione and Ron's first ceremony. Ginny had only been into a church once before, as her parents were not religious. Apparently Hermione's family had insisted that she be married in a church and she felt obliged to do so. Ron was humming in the seat in front of her, Ginny guessed that it was meant to be a Weird Sisters song.

"A butcher could do a better job than you!" Ginny commented, making Hermione and Harry laugh, Ron flush in embarrassment.

When they arrived at the church Hermione's two cousins were already waiting. The female was slightly taller than Ginny with sleek brown hair and pale skin and the male had darker hair cut short and was a tiny bit shorter than Harry. Ginny realised that because of their complexions the clothes they had chosen would match perfectly. Hermione walked over to her cousins and hugged them each in turn, a big smile on her face.

"You have met Ron before," She said with a dismissive wave, they nodded at him. "This is his sister, and my friend, Ginny, and this is Harry Potter." Hermione said, Harry shook the guy's hand and nodded at the girl. He looked relieved to find that they had no idea who he was and Ginny didn't blame them. "Guys, these are my cousins Jonathan and Cleonie."

"So, how are you all?" Cleonie asked, she had a soft and very feminine voice, there were some murmurs. After some polite chatter Molly and Arthur arrived escorted by Hermione's parents and they entered the church.

From what Ginny gathered, the church ceremony was traditional (that is, if television is to be believed). They went over parts with the priest numerous times and Ginny soon realised that her parents weren't religious for a reason, all of the sitting and then standing and then kneeling couldn't be too good on one's immune system. After Hermione was satisfied her parents invited everyone back to their house for lunch.

The Granger's had a nice two-storey house in a quiet suburb on the outskirts of London. Lunch included salad, ham and eggs and everyone seemed to be getting along well.

"So Ginny, you go to St. Liam's I take it?" Cleonie said, a questioning tone to her voice, Ginny nodded in a non-committal way. "Sounds like a wonderful school." Ginny shrugged, She knew that Cleonie was two years older than Hermione. "Do you have a boyfriend?" She asked.

"Yes." Ginny replied, there was the sound of metal hitting porcelain and she turned to see Harry staring at her. "Sorry, what was that Cleonie? You caught me off guard." Cleonie smiled and asked the question again.

"No, I don't. Sorry about that." Ginny said with a laugh, Harry eyed her suspiciously before focusing on his food.

"So, are you happy your brother is marrying Hermione?" She asked, Ginny smiled and nodded.

"I have always wanted a sister." She told her, Cleonie looked around.

"My mum went mental when she found out." She whispered, Ginny cocked an eyebrow "She reckons that eighteen is too young to be married. I guess you can't argue with true love though." Ginny nodded. If only the poor muggle knew about the war, perhaps she would be getting married as well.

* * *

Back at Grimmauld Place Harry, Hermione, Ron and Ginny practised the magical ceremony. In Ginny's opinion it was much nicer than the muggle one, and quiet different. The one thing that led her to prefer the magical ceremony was that there wasn't the constant need to stand, and then sit before kneeling only to sit again. 

For the ceremony at the headquarters Dumbledore had charmed the formal dining room in the back part of the house to twice it's original size, and conjured rows of antique looking carved wooden chairs. Hermione's parents had never been into a magical house before, so there were some things that they didn't understand. Arthur Weasley, however, had a good deal going with the Grangers. When they would ask about an item or spell he would explain it to them, and then ask them about how a muggle concept worked. The cycle continued, and made Ginny laugh at his fascination with muggles.

After the practise for the wedding was over, Hermione's parents joined other members of the order for dinner. Molly had cooked a delicious creamy chicken and pasta dish, with ice cream and chocolate syrup for desert.

"Are you going to say a speech?" Fred asked Ginny, with a mouth full of icecream.

"Maybe." Ginny shrugged, concentrating on enjoying her desert.

"Yes or no?" George said pushing his bowl aside, he was finished.

"I said I don't know." Ginny growled. Fred and George looked at each other and tutted loudly.

"You are very disorganised Ginny, perhaps this would help." George said shoving a red container under her nose. She backed away from it.

"Go away." She groaned, George waggled the box more persistently, Ginny pushed his hand away "I thought that you were now paying someone to test your products!" She said, Fred shrugged.

"Yeah, we are, but it is more fun when it is someone we love." He said with a broad grin, Ginny shook her head told him to get stuffed. Two minutes later Ginny heard a loud explosion and looked over at Ron to see him covered in a brown muck that looked very similar to faeces.

* * *

Ginny sat in her room the next afternoon reading over the charms essay she had just completed. She put her quill back in her trunk and left the essay on the desk to dry. When she turned around she looked at the floor just in front of her shut bedroom door. There was a small parchment envelope there sealed with green wax. Ginny walked over to it and picked it up, she broke the seal and pulled out the letter smaller piece of parchment from inside it. In green ink there was writing scrawled on the parchment, it looked as though it was from Severus. 

_Te vigilans oculis, animo te noctre requiro,_

_victa iacent solo cum mea membra toro._

_vidi ego me tecum falsa sub imagine somni._

_somnia tu vinces, si mihi vera venis._

Ginny looked over it again and screwed her face up in confusion. She had no idea what it was that it was meant to say, she wasn't sure if it was a code, or a spell, it could even be in another language. She ran over to the door and pulled it open, peering into the corridor, to see who left the note. She shut the door after deciding that she probably noticed it long after it was delivered and sat on her bed, paper still clutched in her hand. She reached over to her draw and took her wand out, she tapped the parchment. "Revealio." Slowly, the letters and words begun to transform into something she could read;

_By day mine eyes, by night my soul desires thee,_

_Weary, I lie alone._

_Once in a dream it seemed thou wert beside me;_

_O far beyond all dreams, if thou wouldst come!_

Ginny smiled and tucked the parchment into her charms text book before putting it in her trunk. With a dreamy sigh she headed down to the kitchen for lunch.

When Ginny reached the kitchen there was only one seat left at the table, the others were occupied by Harry, Ron, Bill, Tonks, Remus, her father and Severus. She smiled at the potions master and he face remained blank and his eyes twinkled. Ginny took the only vacant seat which was between Severus and Tonks. After a few moments her mother placed a plate with an assortment of sandwiches on the table.

Ginny remained at the table as it slowly emptied, and before too long she and Severus were left in the kitchen with Molly.

"So, Severus, are you sure you are able to do that shift next Monday?" Molly asked

"Yes, I'm sure." He replied.

"Because if you can't I am sure Ron wouldn't mind…" She trailed off.

"The boy is getting married on Saturday, I think it is only fair that he has some time off." Molly smiled.

"Would you like something to drink?" she asked him, turning to the refrigerator.

"No thankyou Molly, I have to go now." Severus drawled politely, Ginny felt his hand clasp hers under the table and give it a squeeze before he stood and glided out of the door. Molly walked over and took the seat that Severus had vacated.

"Ginny dear, are you sure you know everything you need to know for Saturday?" Ginny rolled her eyes.

"Yes mum, we have only been over it a hundred and three times." Molly shot Ginny a reproachful. The older woman looked around the room before speaking again.

"Are you sure there isn't anyone you wish to invite to the wedding?" Molly asked, Ginny shook her head "No one special that you would like to have there?" Ginny smiled at her mother.

"Everyone that is special to me will be there mum." She said happily. The kitchen door opened and Harry walked into the room. Molly cleared her throat and walked out of the room. Ginny stood up suddenly and headed towards the door.

"Ginny, I was hoping that we could talk." Harry said, Ginny stopped and took a deep breath.

"What did you want to talk about Harry?" She asked.

"Stuff." He replied. She sighed before heading back towards the table and sitting down. Harry cleared his throat before speaking. "So, are you going to make a speech at the wedding?" He asked, she shrugged.

"I am not sure. I wouldn't know what to say. Are you?" He nodded. An awkward silence filled the room which Ginny decided to break.

"So, is that all?" She asked, Harry looked up at her nervously and shook his head.

"I know I have asked you many times to go out with me Ginny, but I want to ask again." She looked away from him.

"Harry, I have already told you. I can't." she whispered. Harry sat back in his seat.

"Ginny, please, don't just say you can't. Give me a reason." He said, Ginny didn't speak "Because, last year things were looking good for us, that is, up until I asked you out. What happened Ginny?" She rested her head on her hand took a deep breath.

"I have already told you, things have changed. I cant go out with you Harry." He looked frustrated.

"But why? Don't you like me? Are you worried? Is there someone else?" he growled, she turned to face him and smiled.

"It's not that I don't like you Harry, in fact, I have come to love you as a brother." She explained softly.

"Are you worried then? Because if you are I have to tell you that there is nothing stronger than love. Just because Voldemort has risen again it doesn't mean we should deprive ourselves from intimate relationships out of fear of losing our loved ones!" Ginny shook her head.

She looked at him, saddened by his desperation. She knew that if nothing had happened between herself and Severus they wouldn't be having this conversation, she would probably guess that they would be set to marry after she left school. She didn't regret it though, because now she was with Severus she knew that she had found the right person for her, he made her feel complete. Ginny could hear Harry's heart beat as he asked the last question for a second time.

"Is there someone else?" She looked away and blinked back tears.

"Would it help you if I told you there was?" Ginny whispered, Harry bit his lip before he spoke.

"Perhaps." He said, she didn't know what to do. If she told him there was he might want to know who it was, if she said that there wasn't anyone else he would feel even worse for not having her affection. Time crawled by as she thought over all of her options. She took a deep breath before looking at him; she opened her mouth to speak.

"Yes, Harry, I am with someone." She said softly, he looked as though she had cursed him. His face paled and his eyes dulled. Ginny knew what would come next.

"Who is it?" He asked bitterly, she shook her head.

"I can't tell you Harry, I think it is better that you don't know." Harry laughed sadly.

"If there is someone else Ginny, I promise that I will love you more than they could ever hope to love you." She reached across the table and clasped his hand.

"The person I am with couldn't love me anymore than they possibly could. He cherishes me beyond his own breath. Please Harry, I know there is someone for you. I also know that is not me." She stood up and walked out of the kitchen before he could say anything else to her.

* * *

Saturday morning came quickly, and Ginny found herself being prodded awake by a frantic Hermione. 

"Wake up Ginny!" She yelled, poking her even harder "We are running late." Ginny sat up groggily and looked at the clock on her bedside table. One minute. They were running one minute late. She got out of bed, not wanting to irritate the bride to be and gathered some items before heading towards the shower.

Downstairs was a beehive of activity, people in formal clothes were running about the house making last minute preparations and alterations. Before she reached the bottom of the stairs Hermione had taken hold of her hand and begun pulling her to the front door. When they were outside Ginny noticed Hermione's parents waiting in a car at the end of the street. She remembered Hermione mentioning that they were getting ready at he mother's house.

Ginny stood outside of the muggle church with Hermione and her two cousins, waiting for Ron and Harry. Ginny had heard that it was traditional for the bride to be late at muggle weddings, and apparently, that is one tradition that Hermione disagreed with. So, as a twist on muggle traditions, Hermione was made to wait for the groom. Hermione looked magnificent. Her dress consisted of two parts. The top was a pure white corset made out of the finest brocade, with off the shoulder cap sleeves. The skirt full and made out of plain white material with an overlay of brocade that split in the middle at the front. Her hair was twisted elaborately on the back of her head with curly tendrils falling on her face and neck. Settled comfortably on her hair was a gold and diamond hair clip from which a dainty lace veil fell. A shiny black car unlike Ginny had ever seen before pulled up outside of the church and Ron and Harry came out. Ron's face glowing the most magnificent shade of red.

"I do." Ron said. The priest gave the word and Ron and Hermione leant towards each other, everyone held their breath for the kiss. It was such a simple notion, one persons lips pressing against another's, and yet it was beautiful. Ginny imagined her and Severus in Ron and Hermione's position. A wave of happiness filled her, perhaps it would be them one day

Two hours later Ron, Hermione, Harry and Ginny walked through the door of number 13 Grimmauld place for the second ceremony of the day. Hermione had become less frantic, and easier to be around. And she and Ron were too smitten with each other to worry about her anymore. Harry and Ginny had only said a word or two to each other since the exchange in the kitchen, and naturally there was an awkward tension between them. When the bridal party (minus Hermione's two cousins) entered the hallway of the headquarters an the magical worlds' version of the wedding march begun, it was an traditional Celtic song that was issued out of the wand of the wizard who was performing the marriage, in this case Dumbledore. When Ginny and Harry neared the door Hermione stopped them.

"You have to hold hands." She whispered urgently, with a grimace she clutched Harry's hand. She didn't want to anger Hermione or break magical tradition. They walked into the magically enhanced room and all the guests were standing in front of their chairs in the middle of the room. The bridal party walked around them once before coming to a halt in front of Dumbledore.

Ginny looked around the room, her entire family except Percy had made it, although Bill to did not look too happy. He had a smile on his face but you could see the pain in his eyes, he was meant to be getting married, but Fleur had betrayed him. Ginny smiled at him and he returned it weakly. Ginny's eyes scanned the room again and her heart skipped a beat when they settled on Severus, he shot her a wide grin from the corner of the room and she winked at him.

Severus observed Ginny, she looked amazing. Her dress clung to her body perfectly, her flaming red hair was pinned up beautifully, tendrils hanging loosely over her porcelain skin. He watched as the ceremony begun, wishing that it was he and Ginny instead of Hermione and Ron. He doubted that it would ever come to that.

Albus Dumbledore begun to speak, telling the bride, groom, and those assembled about the tradition of marriage. The speech he gave was not the traditional one, Ginny could tell that Hermione had tweaked it a bit so that it wasn't to old fashioned. It was tradition for an experienced wizard (rarely a witch) to perform the ceremony, and Dumbledore was the perfect choice, they became the person who bound the marriage with their wand, creating a spell and promise to last until death. The effect of a magical marriage spell was similar to that of an unbreakable vow, but, it could be dissolved by a counter spell. The modern marriage spell had been changed so that only two willing parties could marry, which tried to put an end to all unwanted marriages forced upon two people by neurotic pure-blood families. Dumbledore took out his wand and Hermione and Ron stood side facing each other, hands clasped tightly. Dumbledore signalled for Harry and Ginny to take out their wands and they did.

"Amor Uxor" Dumbledore hissed, a stream of bright, glittering gold issues out of his wand. A split second later the same stream in lesser power came out of Ginny's and Harry's wands. The three streams merged and then wrapped around Ron and Hermione's clasped hands, binding them together tightly. There was a flash of light and the streams dispersed into the air and disappeared. Ron and Hermione raised their clasped hands into the air and the room erupted in applause. Ginny slipped her wand into the elastic she had wrapped around her leg and joined in on the applause.

That evening there was a delicious feast served, cooked by Molly Weasley. After the five course meal, that left everybody feeling bloated and full, there was dancing and drinking. Ginny went over and sat by Ron, Hermione and Harry, and looked around. Some of the adults were beginning to look slightly tipsy, Fred and George were already drunk, singing and dancing loudly with mugs of fire whisky spilling everywhere.

"Hermione," Ron begun "Look at Snape. Told you he wouldn't have any fun." Ginny looked over at her brother.

"Ron, this is hardly the time. He was out teacher at Hogwarts, and he has done a lot for the order, he deserves to be here." Hermione hissed, Ginny bit her lip.

"Look at the poor sod though," Harry added "Nobody is dancing with him." Ginny could feel anger rising in her throat.

"Actually, a few people have asked him to dance, he just refused." Hermione snapped, Ron and Harry snorted doubtfully.

"Who would ask him to dance?" Ron laughed, Ginny glared at got out of her seat.

"I will." Ginny told him flatly, before crossing the room. She could hear Ron telling her not to bother but she ignored him. If she did it right, it wouldn't look suspicious at all. She had wanted to ask him to dance all night, but had not been able to for obvious reasons, but after that conversation he felt that it was a perfect opportunity to ask him. She reached Severus and looked around, forcing a blush.

"Just act reluctant." She whispered, he looked at her inquisitively and grimaced. "Will you dance with me?" She asked, offering her hand to him. After a few seconds of fake deliberation he took her hand and she led him onto the dance floor. He placed on hand on her waist and she placed one on his shoulder. They joined their free hand and begun to dance. From across the room she saw her mother giving her smile, and Ron and Hermione looking rather astonished. Ginny looked into his eyes and saw them twinkling.

"You look amazing." He wishpered, drinking her in, she smiled.

"You do too." She replied. For once, she noticed that he was not wearing completely black dress robes. Instead, these robes were black with a deep green trim that looked as though they were made in India or China. She grinned. "I'd like to see what you have hidden under those robes." She whispered, he glared at her.

"Watch what you say Ginevra, someone may hear you." He told her, she laughed.

"I will just tell them that I was patronizing a lonely old potions master." She told him, he rolled his eyes. They maintained their awkward dancing stance, but there was nothing more that Ginny wanted than to stand closer to him and rest her head on his chest.

When the song was over Ginny pulled away from Severus reluctantly and walked back over to Ron, Hermione and Harry. When she sat down they all looked at her in amazement.

"I can't believe you did that!" Ron said in awe, Ginny shrugged, "How did you get him to dance with you?" he asked.

"I told him that if he didn't I would spread nasty rumours about him and the giant squid." Ginny said with a cheeky grin. Hermione furrowed her eyebrows.

"So, you would dance with _him_ but you wouldn't dance with me?" Harry growled, Hermione and Ron froze, Ginny bit her tongue.

"Well, you didn't ask me did you?" She snapped, his eyes widened in anger.

"Neither did he!" He said, voice a little louder.

"That is not the same. If you want me to dance with you, ask. Don't you dare get angry at me because you were to busy wallowing in self pity to ask me." She stood up and walked over to Fred and George, perhaps they would be better company.

"Ginny!" Fred cried, his glass of fire whisky spilling in her direction, she forced a smile.

"How did you do it?" George asked flamboyantly. Ginny cocked an eyebrow.

"Do what?" Ginny asked.

"Do what?" George stammered.

"Do what?" Fred repeated, Ginny rolled her eyes.

"How did I manage to do what?" She asked, Fred and George looked at each other in confusion.

"Do what?" They chorused "You are the one asking the question!" They howled in laughter and Ginny's foot begun to tap impatiently, she had a feeling that a scowl didn't match her outfit. After a few minutes Fred and George calmed down and Fred beckoned for her to come closer.

"You know what, sis?" He asked, she shrugged, not wanting to be drawn into one of his infuriating word games again "If he wasn't so old, you and Snapey boy would look pretty good together." He told her, Ginny froze…

* * *

A/N: Hello again! I am so sorry that this chapter took so long to post, but it was a pain in the butt to write, and my internet connection expired, so I couldn't post it. There you have it, Ron and Hermione's wedding is over! Wow…. Now that chapter 20 is finished there is not much more to go. Everything has been planned out for the next few chapters, and I am looking forward to writing them, so they should be too long in the making! I hope you all enjoyed and would like to wish you a very merry Christmas, or whatever festivity you celebrate at this time, in case I do not post before then!

Ooooh! I also have news! I have a forum! A lovely stinky FORUM! Yay! If you want to visit it you can go to (www.)(fanfiction.)(net/f/587543)!

**Mistress of Eternity:** Thanks for the review dearie! I am sorry if there wasn't as much G/S chemistry in this chapter, but there were a few things that I needed to get out of the way in regards to the story! I laughed when you pointed out the typo, I should really go over my chapters with a fine tooth comb, or get a beta reader…. Eh. That safe and well!

**Rosco36908:** Thanks for your feedback! I hope that this didn't take too long!

**honeyduck: **Thanks a heap! I hope you enjoyed. Oh, and I like your name. Tis cute!

**Angelic Bladez: **18 seemed longer than 19? Crap. I have done something wrong! Well, this is another long chapter, and the rest of them will be too. I hope you enjoyed it. Severus is pretty spanky isn't he? I have a newfound love for his character. All the answers to your questions will be found in the next few chapters, so just hold tight!

**I Love Nerds 919:** Thanks very much! I hope you liked this chapter.

**Angelique Collins:** Thanks! At first people didn't really like Hazel, and I guess I can't blame them. I always wanted her to be a good friend to Ginny, and thankfully that has come out in the last few chapters! Take care!

**maddudewalking: **As I said to Angelic Bladez, the answers to your questions will be found in the next few chapters, I don't want to spoil it for you. Thankyou very much for you review, and I hope you liked this chapter!

**chinadoll2411:** Thankyou very much! You have no idea how nice it is to have positive feedback! I hope you enjoyed this chapter!

**SomEtHiNg – L1k3 – LAuGhTeR :** Thanks! I cant answer any questions! Covers eyes so don't ask okay? The movie was pretty good, I was very happy with it (as a movie, not an adaptation of the book!)

**krista:**Hello! Thankyou soooooooo much! If I write a book you will be one of the first to know (I wish I could write a book, that would be so spankin' awesome!). I hope that you like this chapter, and the next few, they shouldn't disappoint!


	21. A Yuletide To Forget

Warning: This chapter contains some content not suitable for people under sixteen.

The Midnight Hour

**CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE:** A Yuletide to Forget

_"You know what, sis?" Fred asked, she shrugged, not wanting to be drawn into one of his infuriating word games again "If he wasn't so old, you and Snapey boy would look pretty good together." He told her, Ginny froze…_

_After a few minutes of tense silence Fred looked at his brother, and they both begun to laugh like hyenas. Ginny threw her hands up in the air out of frustration and stormed out of the room, adding twins to the quickly growing list of people who had pissed her off that evening._

* * *

Ginny woke up the next morning with a refreshed attitude and improved temperament. The past few days had been long, and the added joking of her friends and family drove the anger deeper into her heart. Attending Ron and Hermione's wedding had also reminded her of the fact that it was so hard for Severus and herself to be together. They couldn't even dance together without a seemingly valid excuse. She stood up and walked over to the door, noticing a small slip of parchment that had been slid under it. She picked it up, it was another one of Severus' notes.

_Qualis noc fuit illa, di deaeque,_

_quam mollis torus. haesimus calentes_

_et transfudimus hinc et hinc labellis_

_errantes animas. valete, curae mortals._

Ginny walked over to her bedside table and took out her wand, muttering the same spell she had used only days ago. It didn't work, the words stayed as they were and she furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. There was no way that she would be able to understand it without a translation, and she could hardly ask anyone. She sighed and slipped the note into her pocket before heading down for breakfast.

As she sat in the kitchen of Grimmauld place Ginny felt as though she was the luckiest person in the house. Her father, Fred, George, Bill and Remus had all had a bit too much to drink the previous evening and were now paying for it. Their skin had a tinge of sickly green to it and they looked as though they were going to regurgitate the previous evening's meal. Harry sat at the table as well, looking much better for wear, physically, but Ginny could see turmoil in his eyes.

After eating a bowl of cereal Ginny stood and walked out of the kitchen, eager to write a letter to Severus, she desperately wanted to know what it was that the poem meant. When she reached the stairs she felt a hand settle on her shoulder and pull her back, telling her to turn around. She took a deep breath as she saw the deep green eyes that she once coveted staring at her.

"What is it Harry?" She asked impatiently. He looked away from her before gathering up some courage.

"I wanted to ask you why you didn't dance with me last night?" He said, voice strong, Ginny laughed.

"Harry, I thought we already went through this." She said through gritted teeth, she hardly wanted her morning ruined by this nonsense. Harry's expression remained blank. "I didn't dance with you because you didn't ask me to. As a matter of fact, I didn't dance with anyone who didn't ask me to." She told him, he rolled his eyes.

"You only danced with two people. Your father and Snape. And Snape didn't even ask you to dance. You asked him. That hardly applies to your rule." He said, anger slowly creeping into his voice.

"Well, I didn't see you caring enough last night to ask. If you really wanted to ask me to dance with you only needed to pluck up the courage. It wasn't until I danced with somebody else that you wanted to." Harry went to say something but she cut him off "And the same applies to me dating you. You took it for granted that I would be there waiting for you. Well, heres some news for you Harry, you are not the only guy on this planet. If you would have had the guts to ask me out earlier than you did, perhaps things would be different, maybe we would be in the same position as Ron and Hermione." She snapped, he recoiled, she had hit the spot "But there is something that both you and I know Harry, things happen, things change. I am not available and I don't plan to be ever again, okay? So please. Stop this." She stopped abruptly and turned. He reached out and spun her around again, his face now a carving of anger.

"You could have asked me too, I don't see why I had to do all of the work. What stopped you from asking me to dance? Asking me to go out with you? You sure as hell asked Snape to dance." He growled.

"What is it Harry?" She whispered "Are you annoyed that I didn't dance with you? Or, are you annoyed that I danced with Severus?" His eyes blazed ferociously and she knew she should have used Severus' proper name. _To hell with it_, she thought, she couldn't care less at the moment.

"Severus?" He repeated "S-Severus?" Stammered. He tool a step back and glared at her. "If you are not careful Ginny, people will start thinking you are dating that slimy git!" He yelled before he turned and stormed back down the corridor.

"People can think whatever the fuck they want to think Harry!" She yelled after him. She turned and mounted the stairs three at a time.

* * *

Later that afternoon Ginny had calmed down somewhat. After scratching an angst filled letter to Severus she received a reply no more than three hours later which improved her mood. He had warned her to be more careful around Harry in case he did think that they were together, but secretly, Ginny couldn't care less. The last thing that Ginny wanted at the moment was to keep her relationship a secret, but there was not much else she could do. In his letter Severus had assured her that as soon as she was out of school they wouldn't have to hide it any more, but Ginny thought Severus was wrong. After she finished school they would tell her family and there would be no more Severus to have a relationship with. It could be worse though, she could fall in love with a centaur like her great aunt Brunhilda did. _That would be interesting_, Ginny thought.

The snow had fallen thick and heavy and Christmas was creeping up on the youngest Weasley. With the wedding of her brother she, like the rest of the people at Grimmauld place, had put Christmas to the back of their minds. Now that the wedding was out of the way she was free to remind herself that Christmas was just another holiday that she should be able to spend with Severus – but couldn't.

With all of her Christmas shopping already done, and the wedding over, she now resided in the empty halls of the headquarters of the Order, wishing that there were something to do.

Ginny sat in the lounge room watching a cartoon which she was not particularly interested in. She stared at the screen and as she did, she slowly discovered why people in the muggle studies class had revered to the television as the idiot box. Ginny picked up the remote and pushed the off button before standing up and hoping to find a more productive way to use her time.

She walked through the hall and into the kitchen, perhaps her mother needed help with dinner. She was relieved to see that her mother was in the kitchen, and walked over to her.

"Hey Mum, do you want help with anything?" She asked, Molly turned to her and smiled.

"No thankyou dear. Sit down, I'll make us a cup of tea." Molly said kindly. Ginny sat down and after a few moments her mother joined her with two cups of steaming hot tea. "Did you enjoy the wedding?" She asked, Ginny nodded and blew on her tea. "Hermione and Ron looked wonderful." Molly looked thrilled.

"Yeah, it was a great night." Ginny added, her mother's attention turned to her.

"And thankyou for dancing with Severus, Ginny dear, it was very nice of you." Molly smiled, Ginny looked away from her and nodded, determined not to speak.

"Although I didn't see you dance with Harry." Molly went silent for a few seconds. "Poor Harry, it must be so hard to see his best friends getting married, and to know that he doesn't have a girlfriend." Ginny rolled her eyes.

"It must be." She hissed, Molly looked at her seriously.

"I heard you two arguing this morning…." Ginny looked up at her mother expressionless. "Maybe you should give him a try." Ginny gulped down her tea and stood up.

"I don't want to talk about this." She walked towards the door.

"Ginny, I'm sorry, come back." Molly patted the chair that was just vacated.

"Mum, I have stuff to do…" She opened the door but was stopped by her mothers voice calling out after her.

"Are you really with someone else?" She asked, Ginny turned to face the older redhead.

"Mum, please…" Her mother stood up.

"Ginny, if you aren't with anybody else and you are doing this to spite Harry, you should know that it isn't very nice." Her mother said in her telling-off-naughty-child voice.

"I know it is a horrible thing to do. I am not doing it. I am with someone else." Ginny said angrily.

"Really? Who is it dear?" Her voice changed, suddenly interested and gossipy.

"Mum, it isn't important. I am going out with someone and that is all." Ginny took the opportunity to leave. She grunted in frustration as she mounted the stairs but stopped when she heard a familiar and welcome voice behind her. She turned around slowly to see Remus and Severus walking down the hallway. He looked up at her and she flashed him a smile before he and Remus walked into the lounge room. She frowned and walked back up to her room. She wanted to wrap her arms around him so badly.

* * *

Ginny woke up on Christmas morning, surprised to see a present sitting at the end of her bed. When she was not at school, she would receive her presents from her family, it was only when she was at Hogwarts that she would receive them in the morning. She rubbed her eyes and picked up the box, looking at it inquisitively. She took the small gift card off the top of the box and opened it.

_Dearest Ginny,_

I am sorry that I had to give you your gift like this, but, I will be unable to see you today. I have been put on duty for the order, and I will not be able to make it to breakfast, lunch or dinner. I hope you have a wonderful day and wish you a very merry Christmas.

_With all of my love,_

_Severus._

Ginny groaned, she was looking forward to seeing him, she took the lid of the box and smiled. She reached in and pulled out a brilliant black cloak. On closer inspection she could tell that it was made out of niffler fur. It was woven so that it looked as though it was a normal cloak, but when it was touched it was incredibly warm. The clasp of the cloak was an intricate gold Celtic one with small rubies scattered on it. She stood up and wrapped it around her, suddenly feeling much warmer than she was in her bed. She smiled and took the cloak off before tucking it into the trunk at the end of her bed. She had never had such a nice cloak before, hers were usually her brothers old ones which were worn so thin that they hardly protected her from the biting cold.

Five minutes later she had pulled on some clothes and headed towards the kitchen. There was no one sitting at the table. Ginny looked around and spotted Fred, the rest of the room being completely empty.

"Fred, where is everyone?" She asked, suddenly beginning to feel worried.

"They are out Ginny." He said before swallowing a gulping down some pumpkin juice and heading towards the door. She stepped in front of him.

"Don't start with me. Where are they?" She barked, he looked around carefully before sighing.

"Look, if you must know they have all been called away on Order business. I don't know when they will be back, but you should go to your room and try to entertain yourself. Don't open any mail or presents until anyone gets home, okay? And don't answer the door to anyone." He whispered, Ginny's eyes widened.

"What's going on?" She asked. Fred grabbed her shoulders and squeezed them painfully.

"Just do as I said damn it. I have to go." He hissed before he stormed out of the room. Ginny sunk onto the floor and put her head in her hands.

* * *

It wasn't until late that afternoon that people begun to arrive at Grimmauld Place. Ginny roused out of a bored sleep by voices on the stairs. She stood up and crept over to the door, listening carefully.

"I am telling you, they overreacted." Came Hermione's voice.

"Hermione, you can hardly blame them." Ron snapped angrily, Ginny pressed her ear harder against the door.

"Now _they_ will be expecting some type of retaliation. It was a big risk we took today." Hermione said, they stopped outside their door, which was a few doors away from Ginny's.

"I think it would have been a bigger risk if they just let it pass." Ron told her evenly. Ginny was fascinated, what had happened?

"Well, I personally think that it is obvious Ron. Really, they may be completely evil, but they are not stupid. They know that there would be no point attacking on Christmas day. The place was deserted. I hardly doubt that they waste their time on such a fruitless endeavour." Hermione growled before Ginny heard a door slam. Looking up and down the corridor to make sure that no one had noticed her eavesdropping. When she walked down the stairs she saw a number of the members of the Order, some who she knew and others she didn't. She looked over their tired faces carefully hoping to see Severus, but she had no such luck. Instead she saw her mother and headed towards her.

"Mum, what's going on?" She asked, her mother turned and hugged her tightly.

"Merry Christmas dear." Molly said absently.

"Mum, what happened today?" She repeated. Her mother waved her hand dismissively.

"Nothing. Sorry we are late. So, would you like something to eat?" She asked, Ginny glared at her. She opened her mouth to ask the same question for a third time before someone spoke from behind her.

"I mean no disrespect, Mrs. Weasley, but I think that Ginny should know." Ginny closed her eyes, wishing that Harry would stay out of it. Molly turned around and gave him a reproachful look.

"There is nothing to tell Harry. Nothing happened. Now, let's get to our Christmas Celebration." Molly said before walking over to the kitchen. Ginny turned to walk back up to her room but Harry stepped in front of her.

"Ginny, I don't care what the others think, I want you to know." He said quietly, looking around to make sure that no one could hear him.

"Harry, please, don't bother." Ginny growled, she did not want to feel as though she owed him anything because he told her about the events of the day. She would much rather hear them off Severus. As she walked past him he put a hand on her shoulder to stop her but she shrugged it off and continued to walk away.

Dinner that evening was a bland and rather depressing event. All of the people there seemed thoroughly stretched and tired and no one had any Christmas cheer at all. Not even Mrs. Weasley's amazing meal was able to lift the mood.

True to his note, Severus did not come to dinner, so Ginny had to settle for being in a house full of disinterested and uninteresting people for the night. When she got to bed she was very relieved to not have to sit in the awkward silence thick with tension.

Ginny still had no idea about what had happened that day, but she was sure that whatever it was had to do with the Death Eaters. To her relief everyone was still alive and even though they were at the tether's end. She was slightly relieved to remember that she would soon be returning to Hogwarts, lessons and detentions. She knew, however, that this was one Christmas that she would not forget. It was the worst by far, even worse than the time that Fred and George had turned all of the presents into frogs which quickly hopped away.

* * *

The rest of the holidays dragged by, Ginny had nothing to do but sit in Grimmauld Place and twiddle her thumbs. She had asked Severus if she could visit him again, but he said no because apparently it was too dangerous. She managed to find out what happened on Christmas day and agreed with Hermione. The order did over react.

The ride on the Hogwarts Express failed to improve her mood, there were many of her friends who lost family members in the attacks on Ireland and Germany, and clearly she was not the only one who had a Christmas to forget.

After dinner all of the students went to bed relatively early. Ginny looked forward to the next day's lessons as a distraction from the outside world.

* * *

"Miss Weasley, do you ever use your puny brain?" Severus shouted from across the room. Ginny smiled in relief, things were how they should be. "Don't you ever listen? I told you to add the boomslang after the wormwood. You just wasted some very expensive ingredients. Next time this happen I will make sure that you are scrubbing trophies for the rest of the school year. For now though, I think I will take five points off Gryffindor." He barked. Ginny could handle five points being taken off Gryffindor, she was in a good mood.

As soon as she walked into the classroom Ginny felt as though she was home. Severus was looking as handsome as ever, sitting behind his desk pretending to mark some essays, but Ginny knew better. Every so often his eyes would flicker up to meet hers before they turned quickly back to his work, clearly, he was happy to be back. Truth be told, Ginny was looking forward to getting a detention, but she could understand if he didn't give her one. It would be very odd if someone noticed that she always got a string of detentions as a result of the first lesson of term.

When the bell chimed to signal the end of the lesson Ginny packed up and walked out of the room, mentally preparing herself for an excruciating History of Magic lesson.

"Miss Weasley." Severus' voice drawled, she turned to face him, "Can I see you please?" She walked over to him and he waited until the last few students filed out of the classroom.

"What is it Mr. Sexy Pants?" She asked with a cheeky grin, he rolled his eyes but smiled nonetheless.

"I want to move your remedial lessons to Mondays and Thursdays, is that okay?" He asked, longing to reach out and caress her face.

"No problem." She said, after a few moments of silence she realised that he had nothing more to say. She wished that she could stand there and drink in his presence for longer, but she knew that she had to go to her next lesson. "Well then. I will see you tonight." She walked towards the door, stopped, and then called out "Don't be late." He laughed and she walked out of the room.

Severus put his quill on his desk, to distracted to mark the essays in front of him. As much as he despised teaching the students, and marking their work, he was glad to be back. Even if the only reason was to see Ginny again. Over the holidays he had been sent on a number of assignments, and after what happened on Christmas day he had to be incredibly careful in regards to everything he did. After the events of Christmas the Death Eaters were tricked into thinking that his loyalties were not as he described, that Severus' devotion to the Dark Lord was wavering, and slowly they were gathering up more evidence for that claim. Now, more than ever, was not a good time for him to get caught with Ginny. He did not want her to be hurt by the Death Eaters to get to him. He did not know what he would do without her now, he had become accustomed to seeing her smiles and hearing her laughter – he could not lose her. He loved her.

* * *

Ginny walked down to the dungeons, eager to attend her remedial lesson. Before leaving the common room she posted up the notice about her scheduled quidditch training session, thinking that she would ask Severus to make sure that she didn't get any detentions on those evenings. She knocked on the classroom door and her heart fluttered to hear his voice beckoning her to enter. She walked into the classroom and settled on the seat that was on the opposite side of his desk. He smiled at her.

"How are you my love?" He asked.

"Happy to be back, yourself?"

"The same." He said, Ginny grinned at him.

"So Professor, what do you have planned for this lesson?" Ginny asked mockingly.

"I thought that we revise the first few potions of the year and then have a look at the theory of brewing potions according to the phases of the moon." Ginny pulled a disgusted face.

"I have a suggestion!" She said chirpily, he raised a single eyebrow. "I think that we should go to your room and revise the news of the holidays and then study the effects of making love after a prolonged term of abstinence." Severus sighed and sat back in his chair.

"I think my idea is much better." He said, Ginny was dumbfounded, her mouth opened and closed again. "It is not that I don't want to," He added "Because I want to make love to you desperately. But, I think that we need to be a bit more careful. Last time we went to my room we came back to find that Dumbledore was looking for me." Ginny frowned.

"Does he have any reason to look for you tonight?" She asked him, he shrugged.

"I am not sure. In times such as these I should make sure that I am available as much as possible." He told her, Ginny bit her lip out of anger, she nodded. The stupid war had a way of interrupting everything.

"Fine." She stood up and walked around the desk, she kissed him seductively. "We don't need to go to your room, we can make love here." She hissed into his ear, her hand exploring his body, teasing him.

"I don't think that is a good idea either." He breathed, her gentle caressed tempting him to accept her offer. She kissed him deeply.

Ginny had successfully distracted Severus from the work he had set from her, although, she did not manage to convince him to make love to her in the potions classroom. It didn't phase her though, because she wasn't completely serious about it anyway. It was more risk to have sex with him in the classroom than in his room. She settled for some kissing and caressing at first, but eventually her attention turned to discussion about the holidays. She gave him a fuller account of what happened with Harry, and on Christmas day. He seemed reluctant to tell her much at all.

"It is not the type of thing I want you to know." He told her after ten straight minutes of begging.

"Severus, there isn't much that I don't know, I don't see why you can't tell me." She said, voice slightly louder than it was a minute before.

"Ginny, please don't do this to me. There are some things that are better not to know. That is all I will say, okay?" He hissed, she rolled her eyes and folded her arms angrily.

"Severus, I am not a child. I think that it would be better if I knew what was concerning you so much." She snapped. Severus stood up and walked over to the window, peering into the white blanket of snow that could be seen through it.

"If you must know I am telling you this so that you will not get hurt." He said, his voice soft despite his present anger. Ginny glared him and walked over to him, putting a hand on his back.

"Severus, please, don't try to protect me. I don't think I need it." She said flatly. He turned around quickly, gripping her shoulders.

"Fine, you and I both know for a fact that this war still has some way to go. I still have a lot of time before I can stop being a double agent. The death eaters are growing suspicious, and I fear that if they find out about us they will use you, they will hurt you." He told her, if Ginny wasn't mistaken he sounded rather helpless. She hugged him and rested her head against his chest.

"I hardly think that playing down our relationship will stop them from being suspicious, okay? I think that the thing you and I need the most at this moment is each other. There is no comfort in the world for me Severus, apart from you, so please don't take that away from me." She whispered. Severus looked into her eyes. She was right. He had no valid reason to forget about her, what would come, would come. There wasn't anything that he could do besides what he had already done. Her last few words hit his heart. She was his only comfort as well, he knew how she felt. He too knew that without her there would be no reason to go through the pain of this war. He wrapped his arms around her tightly and kissed her on the head. _Live for today,_ he thought, something that Dumbledore had told him over the holidays. At the time he thought it was an odd and random thing to say, but now he knew what it meant.

* * *

Four days later, after a detention a quidditch training session and a remedial potions lesson, Ginny sat in the Gryffindor flicking through her charms textbook, hoping to find something that would help her with her essay that was due on Monday morning. As she turned over one page she found a piece of parchment tucked into it. She looked at it and remembered that it was the second poem which Severus sent her, she smiled and put it back in it's place before she continued searching the book, she made a mental note to remember to ask him what it meant. In her last remedial lesson they revised some potions and looked at the phases of the moon and their effect on potion brewing. The detentions she received the previous night was spent in Severus' room despite the risks. She had noticed that he had come to see from her point of view. There was no use wasting time any more. If they war had taught her one thing it was that life was disposable. Over the past few days she had been listening to the stories of her school mates and learnt of their losses. If there was one thing that she wanted it was to make sure that she did not take her time with people for granted. She didn't think that she would be able to bear losing Severus and knew that it would be made much harder if she felt that things could have been better between them.

Severus took his cloak off and hung it on the stand in this office before brushing some snow off him. He took a small bag out of his pocket and walked over to his desk, he opened the bottom draw with his wand, put the bag into it and shut it again. He sat on his chair and sighed. He must be crazy.

* * *

On Monday morning Ginny pulled a letter off Hedwig's leg. She hesitated before breaking the seal and reading Harry's writing.

_Ginny,_

_I am writing this letter to ask you to forgive me for the way I treated you over the holidays. There was no need for me to say some of the things I said, or to treat you the way I did. I am sincerely sorry for the trouble I must have caused. I only wish that you and the person you are now with are happy and safe._

_Harry_

Ginny reread the note. It was not at all what she was expecting, nonetheless it was a nice gesture. She put the letter in her pocket and continued to eat her breakfast. She heard a hoot and looked up at Hedwig who was staring at her patiently.

"What?" She asked, Hedwig hooted again and then stuck her leg out. Ginny groaned and turned to Hazel. "Do you have a quill? I left mine upstairs." Hazel stuffed the rest of her toast into her mouth and nodded, gesturing to her bag. Ginny opened it and took out a quill and ink. She tore some parchment off Harry's letter.

Apology accepted. Thankyou Harry, I hope you are safe.

She tied the note to Hedwig's leg and gave the owl a bit of bread before continuing her meal.

"Wasn't that Harry's owl?" Hazel asked.

"Yup." Ginny replied between spoons of porridge.

"What did he want?" Her friend asked.

"He wanted to say sorry." Ginny told her. She had told Hazel about most of what happened over the Holidays on the carriage ride to Hogwarts.

"It is about bloody time!" Hazel said triumphantly. "I don't know how you put up with it Ginny, it I were you I would have decked him." Ginny shrugged. She looked up at the teacher's table to see Severus looking back at her, he gave her a smile before turning to say something to Dumbledore.

* * *

The day was long and boring. Ginny walked towards the dungeon, relieved to have some time with Severus. She opened the classroom door and looked around. It was empty. She walked over to Severus' desk and pulled up a seat. After a few minutes of sitting down she realised that there was a note scribbled on the black board.

Remedial potions moved to astronomy tower.

Ginny sighed and stood up. By the looks of it Severus wanted to work on the practical side of the lunar effects on potions. Perhaps she could talk him out of it, she was hardly in the mood to work. On her way up to the Astronomy Tower she seriously considered sending Harry a proper letter. Her note was brief and if she was on the receiving end she would hardly be pleased with it. It must have taken a lot of courage for him to apologise and write that note. She remembered the last line of his letter and smiled, he wished her and her partner well, she wondered if it would be the same if Harry knew she was with Severus.

A short five minutes later Ginny trudged up the stairs of the astronomy tower and opened the classroom door. She looked in to see Severus sitting on an overstuffed cushion in the centre of the room, it looked as though he had borrowed that pillow and another from the divination class room. He looked up as she stepped through the door and flashed her a brilliant smile. He patted the cushion next to his own and she walked over and sunk onto it.

"Sorry I am late." She said pulling her bag off her shoulder, he waved a hand.

"Never mind, I thought you may be. Although I did think that I wrote the notice big enough." He said playfully, Ginny punched him in the arm.

"So, studying the lunar calendar again?" She asked, he raised his eyebrows.

"No." he replied flatly.

"Oh. So what's the occasion then?" She said confused. He shrugged.

"No occasion." He looked at her for a moment before continuing. "Do I need a reason to bring you to the astronomy tower?" He asked, she nodded avidly and he looked thoughtful. "Well then, is the fact that I love you a good enough reason?" he asked. She looked to the side.

"Hmmm…" She sighed dramatically. "Yeah, that will do." She leant over and kissed him softly. When he pulled away from her he pulled two glasses from behind him.

"Thirsty?" he asked. She laughed.

"This is very suspicious you know," She tutted and took the drink he poured for you "First you bring me to the astronomy tower, then you offer me refreshments! How do I know that this isn't spiked with a potion that will destroy my inhibitions so you can take advantage of me?" She asked, he shook his head.

"No, I would never do that to you." He said, pretending to be offended.

"I guess so. Because you wouldn't need a potion to get me into your bed." She took the cup and put it to her lips, tasting the delicious butter beer that must have been fresh from the Three Broomsticks. She put the glass down beside her and moved closer to Severus, resting her head on his shoulder. He draped his arm around her shoulder casually. "I love you." She whispered, the wind howled outside plastering snow to the windows of the Astronomy Tower. He changed the way that he was sitting so that he was facing her. He looked into her eyes and she was drawn to his lips, she kissed him passionately. He clasped her hands in his and pulled away from her, his eye contact did not waver. She smiled, drowning in his eyes. The world around her seemed to float away, all she could see was Severus, her heart soared. Everything went quiet, the wind stopped howling, the snow stopped slapping against the window, the silence even seemed to become quieter. She concentrated on his eyes.

_Ginny, I have been thinking about what you said last week._ His voice echoed through her mind and she suddenly realised what was happening, he was using legilimency to throw his thoughts into her mind. She didn't need to say anything, he could tell what she was thinking. _I love you, and I don't want anything to interfere with that. I am so happy that we have found each other, I have never felt more at peace in my entire life. I want to ask you something… _Ginny urged him to ask, she would answer any question he could throw at her, she wanted him to ask. She felt their connection slip away and she begun to see again. To hear again.

"Will you marry me?" Severus' voice cut through the noises of the night, and echoed through Ginny's mind filling her heart with warmth. She didn't think, didn't breathe.

"Yes." She answered.

Severus stared into the face of his young, red-headed lover, it took him a few moments to comprehend what she had just said. _Yes_. The word echoed through his entire body. _Yes._ Such a simple word, but at that very moment, it was the most wonderful word Severus had ever heard. She said _yes_. Severus leant forward and pulled her into his arms, her body warmth adding to the warmth that his happiness was providing him with. He tilted her head up and kissed her softly. His tongue explored her mouth as though it was new to him. His heart beat faster than it had ever beaten for her before. She said _yes_. Ever since he had arrived in the astronomy tower he hadn't been able to think straight. He was worried that she would say no, tell him that he was disgusting, that she didn't want him. It was clearly paranoia on his part. They had brought up their feelings for each other before, he should have known, he should have been able to tell that she felt the same way.

"I love you." She whispered sweetly, he stroked her hair softly. She looked up at him and smiled. There was silence between them for quiet some time. There was no need to speak. After a while Severus let go of Ginny and sat back, he felt a sharp pain in his side as he leant against the pillow and sat back up. He had forgotten.

Ginny watched as Severus sat back up and reached into his pocket. He pulled a small box out and opened it, he reached in and took out a gold ring with a sparkling diamond on it.

"I am sorry." He murmured, "I forgot." He took her left hand and slid the delicate ring onto her finger. When he was happy that it was secure he kissed her hand and she smiled.

"You didn't have to." She told him and squeezed his hand.

"It is all part of it, though, isn't it?" He said. She shrugged.

"Well… Yes, but you didn't have to. I didn't even think about it. Just asking is enough." She told him, he rolled his eyes.

"If you don't want it I could always take it back." He joked, she laughed and hugged him again. Ginny suddenly remembered the piece of parchment she put in her pocket before she left and reached in to retrieve it.

"Severus, my love, what does this mean?" She asked, showing it to him, he took it out of her hand and smiled.

"Ah God, ah God, that night when we two clung. So close, our hungry lips, Transfused each into each our hovering souls, mortality's eclipse." He said, Ginny kissed him softly on the lips.

"Thankyou." She whispered and buried her head in his chest.

After five minutes of kissing and hugging a question floated into Ginny's mind. She let it nag at her for a while before the question threatened to burst out. She should just ask.

"Severus…" She begun, shifting so that she could see his face.

"Hmmm?" She took a deep breath.

"Well… I was just wondering." She continued, he eyed her suspiciously "How old are you? Just out of interest."

"Ginny." He said, he stopped there, nothing else came out of his mouth.

"Severus, just tell me." She said softly.

"Ginny, really, it doesn't matter." He said, he looked away from her and she grabbed his face, forcing him to look at her.

"I know it doesn't matter. It won't change at thing. I love you, and hell, I even agreed to marry you. It is just out of interest." She told him. He sighed.

"Thirty eight." He drawled. Ginny shrugged.

"See, that wasn't so bad." She said dismissively. "It could have been much worse. You could have been forty-eight." Severus remained silent. "Seriously Severus, I don't mind. I just thought that if I am going to marry you I should at least know your age. When is your birthday?"

"On the sixteenth of May." He said, somewhat bitterly. She leant over and kissed him softly.

"Thankyou for telling me. It means a lot. Can I please have some more to drink?" she said and held her drink up to him, he poured some more of the smooth brown liquid into her cup. "Thanks." She took a sip and put the cup down. When she was finished her drink Severus looked at his watch.

"We should probably go in fifteen minutes." He told her. Ginny crawled over to him and stradled his lap while kissing him seductively.

"Do we have to?" she hissed into his ear, he hugged her.

"I wish we didn't. But we probably should." He replied, his breath becoming increasingly rapid as he wanted her more.

"Can we go back to your room?" She asked. He frowned.

"I don't know." He groaned, she kissed his neck, then his chest, her fingers clawing his back.

Fifteen minutes later Ginny and Severus said their fond goodbyes. They both came to terms with the fact that it was probably not the best idea to go back to his room, she really ought to go to her dorm and get some sleep. Ginny still couldn't quell the feeling of excitement in her stomach and every so often she would catch a glimpse of the ring on her finger and it would renew her happiness. She was going to marry him. Ginny stopped in the doorway and turned around.

"Um, Severus?" She asked, he stood up straight, cushions in his hand. "What do I do about this?" She asked, holding her left hand up. He walked over to her and took her hand, looking at the ring. He took out his wand and put the tip against the ring.

"I can make it invisible for now, and when you want to see it all you have to do is tap it with your wand and say _diaphanious_. The same word will turn it invisible again." Slowly the ring turned invisible. "Just remember, it is invisible. You may not be able to see it, but you will still be able to feel it." He told her, she smiled and he hugged her. He kissed her on the forehead before pulling away from her.

* * *

The next day Ginny say in potions class writing an essay on what Severus had taught her over the last week. She had the feeling that while he tried to remain impartial to her in regards to school work, he couldn't help slipping her some information that she would normally to do research to learn. She stopped to think for a while and clasped her hands together to relieve them. Her finger brushed the invisible ring and she smiled. She looked up at Severus who was watching her carefully. The corner of his mouth twitched slightly, and she winked in response. He turned his attention back to the pile of work to mark on his desk.

Ginny smiled and bit the end of her quill as she remembered last night. She couldn't believe that he proposed to her. He wanted to marry her. She had considered the idea before, but it surprised her to learn that he had as well. She didn't talk to him about it last night, but they had a few things to sort out. She had to tell her family that they were together, she couldn't exactly marry him without them knowing. What Ginny needed was a detention. She looked around, her ink pot being the only thing she could see potential in.

"OW!" she cried and flung her hand carelessly across the desk, sending her ink well flying into the wall on the opposite side of the room. Everyone looked up at her, distracted from their work.

"What is the meaning of this, Weasley?" Severus barked, Ginny pulled an embarrassed face.

"I – I thought there was a spider." She stammered, Severus rolled his eyes.

"Was there?" He asked cynically, she shook her head.

"My eyes were playing tricks on me." She told him.

"Five points of Gryffindor for distracting the class and being a nuisance." He snapped before he looked down at his work. _Is that it?_ Ginny thought bitterly.

"That isn't fair! It was an accident!" She argued, he glared at her.

"Don't argue with me Weasley!" He warned.

"I am sorry Professor. But I think losing my pot of ink is punishment enough. There is really no need to punish me entire house because I thought that there was a spider on my hand!" Severus stood.

"I told you NOT TO ARGUE WITH ME!" He yelled. Ginny bit her lip and looked around awkwardly.

"A further five points off Gryffindor for being a disobedient fool and an egotistical patriot." He drawled, he looked as though he was thoroughly enjoying this. Her jaw dropped "And did I forget to mention your detention?" He asked slyly. Her eyes widened.

"But I have quidditch training!" She cried.

"No amount of training will help your team Weasley. Now get back to work. ALL OF YOU!" He said, sitting back down and doing his work. Ginny grinned. Although she had lost ten points for Gryffindor she had managed to get a detention. It was a bitter-sweet victory.

* * *

That night when Ginny walked into the dungeon Severus was hovering over a potion, apparently, too busy to noticed she had entered. She crept over to him and quickly put her hands over his eyes.

"Guess who?" She said in a low and husky male voice. Severus remained silent for a few moments.

"Hagrid, I told you, not tonight. I am meant to be seeing Ginny!" He said. Ginny pulled her hands away from his eyes quickly.

"Gross." She squealed, he turned to face her and laughed. "No seriously Severus. That was beyond gross. You and Hagrid? Disgusting. Don't even get me started on the impracticalities of that match!" She said playfully, Severus raised his eyebrows questioningly.

"Impracticalities?" He asked, Ginny nodded fervently.

"Yes, my love, impracticalities." She confirmed.

"Well then what are they?" He teased.

"I would have thought it obvious." Ginny mused while Severus maintained an interested expression "Well, it is just that he is so big – huge - in fact, and you are…. Well…." She trailed off.

"Not _that_ big?" Severus suggested.

"No… I was going to say small." She said in a finalising tone. Severus glared at her.

"Well, if you think that I am _small_, perhaps you are engaged to the wrong professor." He said indignantly, though Ginny knew he was only joking.

"I never said small was a bad thing." She laughed and kissed him passionately. "So," She begun as she pulled away from him "how important is this little potion?" She asked.

"Oh, not that important… although it could probably save somebodies life one day." Severus said sarcastically with a casual wave of his hand.

"Is that all? Hmm, in that case I think we should go to your room. I have a feeling that there is something that needs doing in your bedroom." She explained. Severus looked at the potion, and then back at Ginny, before putting the spoon on the nearest desk.

"It wouldn't hurt if I let it simmer for a _little_ while." He said before taking her hand.

A short while later Ginny and Severus were lying naked in his large, four-poster bed. Ginny's head resting on Severus' chest while he stroked her hair lovingly.

"Severus?" she whispered.

"Yes my love?" He asked kissing her forehead.

"I had a thought." She paused "Considering that we are engaged now, it is pretty important that we tell my parents about us. As much as I would love to run away with you and escape from this war, I have realised that it just isn't practical." Severus smiled.

"That was a wonderful thought my love. We will have to tell your parents, and probably everyone else as well. We just need to wait until you have finished school…" He said softly, Ginny nodded in agreement.

"Agreed. I am not looking forward to it." She squeezed him, he laughed.

"I have seen your parents when they are _really_ angry. I am not looking forward to it either. But they will have to live with it. You are old enough to make your own choices and I will flatly refuse to let go of you." He told her. There was a short, content, silence which was broken by Ginny.

"And another thought…" she added, Severus smiled, encouraging her to continue "Well, after seeing all of the rubbish with the war, I was just wondering when we were going to get married." She asked softly.

"You tell me the date, and I will be there." He assured her. Another short silence.

"I think we should do it before the new school year." She told him.

"Why?" He asked.

"I want to do it soon I guess. The war has made me realise that no one is untouchable. I don't want to loose you." Ginny explained.

"Perhaps we should wait till after the war…" he mused, he had not expected her to want to get married so soon, but deep down he wanted to as well. He just didn't want to take any risks.

"I don't know Severus. Because if anything happens to you I want to know that at least you were mine for a short time." She whispered, trying to hold back tears, she knew that the threat of losing him was real.

"Ginny my love, the last thing I want if something happens to me is leave you as a seventeen year old widow." He told her softly while stroking her hair tenderly.

"Severus. I don't care. I want to know that we were able to have each other. If I am a widow at least I have the privilege of saying that I was married to you. You know what they say, it is better to have loved and lost than to have never loved at all." Ginny told him, blinking back the tears. Severus sat up carefully, lowering her head onto his pillow. He sighed and closed his eyes, clearly thinking.

"Is that what you really want?" He asked her after a few minutes. Ginny sat up and held his hand, she nodded "Then that is what we will do." Ginny smiled and kissed him softly.

* * *

The next evening Ginny walked down to the Quidditch pitch for the training schedule which she had to re-schedule because of her detention with Severus. The match was in one week and she was not really looking forward to it. From what Ginny had heard the new Slytherin team were very good. Aran Petrovic, the new Slytherin captain, had dropped some of Malfoy's players from the team. Ginny had always thought that Malfoy had kept some players simply because they were his friends, and judging by the new team line-up, it seemed she was right. Now Ginny had to think up a set of different tactics, because she had no idea how the new team was going to play against them. She did have a feeling that they would be as rough as ever, and was looking forward to giving them their own.

Ginny walked into the change room and threw her bag onto the floor. She looked around to see that Aneas and Ritchie hadn't arrived yet.

"Demelza, have you seen Giddlemore and Coote?" Demelza shrugged. Jimmy coughed from the corner. "Have you seen them Peakes?" Ginny asked turning to him, he nodded.

"Yeah, they were at each other's throats in the common room today." He told her, Ginny rolled her eyes.

"What happened?" She asked, not really caring.

"Apparently Ritchie's girlfriend said she snogged Aneas in the boat shed." He explained.

"Is there any way that we can get them to fix it?" Ginny was hardly in the mood to postpone the practise due to some immature squabble.

"No, I don't think so. The truth is that Aneas actually didn't snog her." Jimmy continued.

"Then why are they squabbling over it?" She asked.

"You know Aneas – has a head the size of the good year blimp – he thinks it gives him a bad boy reputation." Ritchie told her.

"Boys are so stupid. Look, you three go ahead and start training without me, I am going to sort this out." Ginny told them before storming out of the change room. She did not want to deal with some soap opera drama right now, but they needed to train badly.

Ginny threw the doors to the castle open and turned a corner before running into something hard. She fell back, she was just about to tell the person off before she noticed who it was.

"Are you okay?" Came Severus' familiar drawl, he held his hand to help her up. She took it and pulled herself to her feet, brushing the back of her robes off.

"Yeah, sorry, you?" She asked, he smiled, she was so tempted to kiss him.

"I am fine, but then again, I wasn't the one on the floor. Where are you going?" His tone interested. It isn't every day that Ginny Weasley runs through the corridor like a maniac.

"Oh, Giddlemore and Coote are being idiots. I need to sort them out before we loose too much training time." She explained breathlessly. He brought his hand up to her face and tucked some loose hair behind her ear. She pressed her cheek against his hand, his cold caress sending shivers down her spine, making her want him.

"Well, you better hurry before I waste any more of your time." He whispered before brushing past her lightly. She stood on the spot for a few moments before continuing on her way to the common room.

Ginny walked into the common room and looked around carefully. Aneas and Ritchie were at opposite sides of the room pretending to do homework, Ritchie's ex girlfriend by Aneas' side. Ginny took out her wand and walked to the middle of the circular room.

"RITCHIE!" she called "ANEAS!" They both looked up at her questioningly "Get your arses here right now." She snapped. They looked around before standing up, Aneas' female companion grabbed his hand to stop him. "NOW!" She barked. The girl let go and sat in her seat timidly. When the boys reached her they glared at her and each other venomously.

"Did you two read the notice I put up?" She asked flatly, they both nodded slowly "So, why is it that you are not at the quidditch pitch right now?" She asked, they shrugged.

"Personal issues." Ritchie hissed, Ginny frowned in sympathy.

"You poor thing, I have heard all about it." She tutted. "What about you Aneas?" She asked, he looked around.

"Personal issues." He told her.

"How romantic, you both have personal issues." Their mouths fell open at the use of the word _romantic_ "Look, if you two want to have a lovers tiff, by all means, go ahead. But the next time it effects your appearance at quidditch practise rest assured you will both find yourself off the team." She said loudly enough so the girl in the chair could hear. They looked outraged. She turned and walked to the portrait hole where she stopped. "I DON'T HEAR YOU FOLLOWING ME!" She yelled. There was silence for a few seconds before the sound of shoes scuffing across the carpet broke the silence.

* * *

Ginny threw the quaffle through the goal post and punched the air. It was the fourth goal of the match, all of which belonged to Gryffindor. She zoomed back towards the centre circle and was congratulated by her team mates. They had changed tactics completely no less that two times in the game so far and it was working well to confuse the Slytherin dunderheads. She still had plenty of tricks up her sleeve and planned on using them all to win this match. So far the game was clean, free of dirty move, and cheat tactics. Ginny had an inkling that Severus had talked to the team at the beginning of the year and explained the consequences of unsportsmanlike behaviour. They had only been pulled up on seven fouls this year, an improvement, compared to their twenty three from the previous year.

"The quaffle is released, Slytherin in possession. It shouldn't last for too long – ooh - it doesn't! Lovely snatch by Robins, passes to Ovell, passes to Robins, passes to Weasley, Ovell, Robins, Weasley, Ovell-" Luna panted, she took a few deep breaths "Oh you can all see what is happening, if you cant figure it out for yourselves." She breathed, Professor McGonagall's voice could be heard around the stadium telling her to do her job. Truth be told, not many people could have caught up with the pace of the Gryffindor chasers. The ball was rocketing from chaser to chaser, the red blur being the only evidence that they were passing anything. Each time a Slytherin Chaser got close enough to snatch the quaffle it slipped from their focus and they gave up. They couldn't follow the ball.

Severus watched as Gryffindor scored their fifth goal and had to stop himself from cheering. They were playing such a wonderful game, their tactics didn't cease to amaze him. Ginny looked spectacular as she zoomed around the pitch, red hair and cloak trailing behind her. The cheering grew louder and Luna's commentary resumed, snapping Severus back to attention, he looked around eagerly and saw the Slyterin Seeker Riven Green and the Gryffindor seeker Mena Narayan chasing the snitch frantically.

"Narayan in the lead, reaches. THAT HAS TO BE A FOUL!" Luna yelled, the crowed roared, Green had zoomed ahead of her quickly and stopped his broom suddenly, smacking the tail of it into Mena's face. He continued flying, arm outstretched.

Ginny stopped and turned around, she bit her lip.

"Green catches the snitch." Luna pouted, the displeasure in her voice rung through the stadium, the only ones who cheered were clad in green and silver.

* * *

The next morning at breakfast Ginny sat in the great hall mushing her porridge with her fork. Luckily, they had scored just enough points in the game to scrape through to the finals which was another match against Slytherin. The night before Mena had appealed to Ginny for forgiveness on many occasions, Ginny felt more sorry for the girl than she did for herself. The match of the previous day wasn't only a match, it was a tool for revenge, and she misused it. She was planning to schedule many more practises and to develop new tactics so that they could wipe the pitch with Slytherin on the day of the finals. If they wanted to play rough, she would to, she had completely given up on the idea of being polite.

"Hey Gin, look at that." Hazel said in awe. Ginny looked up to see Professor McGonagall, Dumbledore, Flitwick, Hagrid and Severus running down the middle of the Great Hall. Ginny got to her feet. Severus turned his head towards the Gryffindor table and his eyes settled on her for a moment. There was something terribly wrong. Ginny's gut squeezed and she was hard pressed to prevent her porridge from spilling out of her mouth. She looked over at Hazel. "This isn't good, is it?" Her friend asked her, Ginny shook her head soberly.

Lessons went on as usual and there was no sign of any of the professors that had gone missing. Ginny knew for a fact that all outside lessons were conveniently moved indoors and the flow of owls at brealkfast was reduced to a precious few. There were no copies of the Daily Prophet either. By the afternoon the majority of students had forgotten what happened at breakfast. Ginny, however, was not so lucky. Her stomach was in a knot all day, rumbling, but she did eat.

* * *

The sun had fallen on the desolate scene. There were countless bodies scattered over the cobblestones, most of them scarred beyond recognition. There was still much to be hear, building crumbling, curses flying and the dying screams of many wizards. The stones that had fallen had created a dense blanket of dust raising high off the ground, making it nearly impossible for people to see and breathe. They managed. The only light they could see by was that of the wands still clutched in the hands of dead bodies, and the precious little stars that shone through the thick cloud of the night.

Severus stood in the rubble that used to be Florean Fortescues surrounded by smoke and debris and looked around. There was no survivors that he could see, no one to help or kill. He walked a few feet towards the main street and froze as he saw two red heads through the dust. He held his wand up.

"You always were too impulsive." Said one voice, one that he recognised, but didn't want to place a face to the voice – they all sounded very similar.

"You always were to eager to please." Another one called, similar to the one before. But then, through the dust and destruction a third voice echoed through Severus' mind, an unmistakable voice.

"I am very sorry' Bill, but you were not for me. Your brother Percy 'ere has much more to offer me." Severus could almost picture Fleur saying the words.

"That is fine Fleur," The second voice begun, he now knew it was Bill "There is nothing more that I could wish for a half veela than to be with a half human." There was a cry of anger and Severus ran through the dust.

"Avada Kedavra." A green ray split the dust, it's light illuminating the air around it.

* * *

Ginny looked at the clock on her bedside table. It was past three in the morning and she had not slept a wink. She had tried to contact Severus through the two way mirror over eight times and failed on every attempt. There had been no letters, no announcements and no news. There was nothing. Only five missing Professors and a lack of explanation. Ginny pulled her thick black cloak around her tighter, the niffler fur providing little comfort from the cold she felt inside.

Ginny opened her eyes and looked around. It took her eyes a few moments to adjust before she could tell where she was. She knew that she was no longer in her bed, instead, she found herself in the arms of someone cloaked in black. She also knew that she was not in her dormitory, her only guess was that she was being carried through the corridors of Hogwarts. She tried to see the face of the person who was holding her, but it was much too dark, and they had their hood pulled so far down that she was astounded that they could see.

"Who….?" She whispered, there was a hushing sound. She struggled to get free of their grip but they held on tight. "LET ME DOWN!" She yelled struggling harder.

"HUSH!" The voice hissed. With the loud footsteps she could barely hear the person speak. Before she could as another question there was a blazing green light and she felt the sensation of walking into a flooed fireplace. The fire whizzed around her ears and she could feel the person holding her struggling to keep their grip. Ginny was thrown onto a hearth rug roughly, and she could feel her captor stumbling out of the fireplace. She rubbed her eyes and looked around. The familiar lounge room of Grimmauld Place came into focus and she jumped up. The person in the cloak put a hand on her lower back and pushed her out of the lounge and into the hall. She was at least happy to know that she was safe. The hand steered her into the kitchen and she gasped. Around the table sat the Weasley family. They all were bloody and bruised, but most noticeably, all crying. There were other people in the room too, some members of the order. All of them crying tears of pain. Ginny's stomach flopped and she walked over to her mother. It seemed as though time had slowed down. Little by little everyone's eyes looked to her. Ginny opened her mouth to speak, but she had lost her voice. She tried to move her hands but they were completely drained of energy. She stood there, and just waited, she waited for someone to tell her what was wrong, thinking the worst, hoping for the best. After what seemed an eternity of agonising pain her mother pulled her hands away from her tearstained face. Ginny didn't hear the words, she didn't need to, she knew what she was saying. _Bill is gone_. Ginny suddenly doubled over, her stomach throwing out what ever it could. On all fours now, tears streamed from Ginny's eyes.

* * *

A/N: MERRY CHRISTMAS! HAPPY BOXING DAY! AND A CHEERFUL NEW YEAR! I think this chapter shall be my Christmas edition. I was going to post it on Christmas eve, but I was too tired to finish it, so for that I apologise.

I was so tempted to make you wait to see who got Avada Kedavra-d but I figured that it would be a bloody horrible thing to do. This chapter is one that I have been planning for months, and yet it has easily been the hardest to write. I really hope that you enjoyed it and I would like to leave you with a number…. 2. I am sure that you will all be able to figure out what it means, but I will give you one hint, it is not the number of wizards it takes to screw in a light bulb.

* * *

THANKS TO: 

**gothiccrannberry: **Thankyou so much for reviewing, for the rabbits and for Snape! Very much appreciated. Here throws a unicorn at you have a unicorn, I like them!

**pink-flame-kit:** I am sorry it took a while, I hope you had a good yuletide… if you celebrate Christmas, then, merry Christmas!

**krista: **Fred and George are pretty stinking fun, you will see more of them later on. Ta for the review!

**BetrayedVision:** At first I wasn't a really a Ginny/Snape fan, I would read it but it wasn't my favourite ship. Now I have to say that I can see why people like it, it is much more interesting that most other ships, and there are so many good storylines floating around. Do a search, there are some particularly good ones out there! Thanks for reviewing, and have a great New Year!

**Slag:** There is one thing that I know about Harry and boys in general (though there are a few out there to whom this doesn't apply) but they are pretty daft sometimes. They have this way of completely ignoring hints and signs (take my boyfriend for an example). Truth be told, there are many signs there that Ginny and Severus are together, considering the fact that they did dance together (and would Severus really dance with a student?), Ginny's depression coinciding with his absences and so on. Thanks for your comments, they mean a stack!

**Someone:** Well, that threat about the Punjab lasso was pretty scary, so I felt compeled to write for my own safety and well being!

**Nyah1**: Thankyou my dearie! I hope you had a good Christmas, and I hope your new years eve festivities bring you joy!

**Angelic Bladez**: I think it is possible to be jealous of fictional characters… and if it isn't it damned well should be. When I was little I used to get jealous of the Sarah (from the Labyrinth) because I thought Jareth (David Bowie) was the sexiest man alive. That is such a romantic storyline. Well, I hope you liked this chapter, stay safe!

**maddudewalking: **I wanted to make them dance at some point in this fic and I thought that the wedding would probably be a good place to do it. I agree with you, people should know that Ginny and Severus are awesome together, it is such an awesome pairing. Thanks again for reviewing!

**Mistress of Eternity:** It does make me feel pretty crappy to have to attack all of these random countries, and I have to say that Ireland holds a special place in my heart. I used to obsess over Irish boys and their accents, but I got over it a couple of years ago and settled for a New Zealander with a Kiwi accent, might I say it is quiet fun at times. Fred and George are pretty much inseparable aren't they? I mean, even in the HP books they are constantly at each other's side. There are probably stacks of funny typos in this chapter, if you find any please tell me, I could do with a good laugh!

**Angelique Collins:** I am sorry to have to tell you this but this story will end, and how soon I have already hinted at, but I will not directly say. Thanks for your review, and I hope you had a great Christmas!

**Lyssasoulles:** Covers eyes and makes la la la sounds I am not going to answer any of your questions, sorry dear. But I will say that the Giant Squid would have to be my favourite character although I have not actually used him in the story other that in reference. I should use the giant squid… In fact, I think I should write an entire story about the exploits of the over-sized jelly fish…. Imagine the possibilities takes out pen and paper and starts scribbling the ideas I think I will call it – "Oh My Squidness!". Thanks for reviewing! It is very much appreciated.

**sOmEtHiNg – L1k3 – LAuGhTeR:** Thank you so much! That makes me so happy to hear that you like my story so much. Imagine the criticism if it was what really happened in the HP series, poor JK would probably be arrested and sent to a desert island for the rest of her life! LOL! Well…. Thanks a lot for your review! I hope you liked this chapter!


	22. The Calm Before

Warning: This chapter contains some content not suitable for people under sixteen.

The Midnight Hour

**CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO: **The Calm Before

_She stood there, and just waited, she waited for someone to tell her what was wrong, thinking the worst, hoping for the best. After what seemed an eternity of agonising pain her mother pulled her hands away from her tearstained face. Ginny didn't hear the words, she didn't need to, she knew what she was saying. **Bill is gone**. Ginny suddenly doubled over, her stomach throwing out what ever it could. On all fours now, tears streamed from Ginny's eyes._

* * *

The early morning darkness turned into the light of day. No one had spoken a word. A few people had left during the hours that seemed an eternity, but apart from them, no one had moved. Looking around, Ginny had come to realise that what she feared was true. There had been another attack. A big one. At the tears poured out of her eyes she found new victims to mourn for, Tonks, Kingsley, Doge and Diggle to name a few.

It wasn't until mid afternoon that people started to move, started to talk, and slowly it seemed as though they were not weeping statues, but living beings. Ginny felt a warm pair of arms wrap around her shoulders comfortingly and she looked up into the bloodshot eyes of her mother. Seeing the pain in her mother's eyes brought a fresh stream of tears from her eyes.

"Ginny, dear…" Molly begun in what Ginny believed to be the bravest voice she could on for that moment.

"Mum," Ginny interrupted her "I just- …. No… I…. How did it happen?" She whispered, the other Weasley in the room who had all stood from their seats looked over at her, anger and sadness burning in their eyes. Molly looked around the room, hoping to find someone that would tell her not to give Ginny that information. Ron let go of Hermione's hand and crouched down beside Ginny. He put a hand on her shoulder.

"There was an attack on Diagon Alley." He begun through gritted teeth "It started early yesterday morning. There were hundreds of them. But, last night… B-Bill, he saw Fleur and Percy. They had him outnumbered Ginny. She killed him." Ron spat, an angry red flush rising on his face.

"She?" Ginny repeated softly, questioningly. Ron nodded angrily.

"Fleur." He told her. Ginny stood up quickly.

"Where the hell is she?" Ginny yelled "I will kill her. I will make her suffer." Molly pulled Ginny into a tight hug and patted her hair.

"Ginny, there is nothing you can do… She is dead…" She whispered, for the first time in her life, Ginny finally found somebodies death comforting.

"Who….?" Molly took a deep breath.

"Severus." She whispered. Ginny rested her head on her mothers shoulder.

* * *

It wasn't until that evening that members of the Order continued to go about their business. The Weasley family returned to their post. Fred and George went back to Diagon Alley to count the casualties and clean up. Ron went with Harry and Hermione to wherever it was that they went. Arthur went back to the ministry. Molly to the kitchen. Ginny sat in the lounge room of Grimmauld place in silence. Not really thinking, not really feeling. It wasn't until she heard the door click shut that she looked up from the spot on the wall, which had been her focus for the past two hours. She saw the person who had carried her from her bed. She now noticed how long their cloak was, it trailed on the floor slightly. Their hood covered their face and rose to a point above their head. She shivered and backed up against the wall. They were Death Eater garments.

"It is me." The voice came from under the cloak, the hood dropped, and Ginny looked at the person in despair.

"Severus…" She whispered. "Why didn't you tell me?" she asked. He could of told her before she got to Grimmauld Place. He could have prepared her for the news so she could help support her family instead of cower like a wounded cat.

"It wasn't for me to tell you." He said. In two quick steps he crossed the room and swept her into his arms. She felt the hot tears slide down her cheeks again, amazed that she still had more to cry. He kissed the top of her head.

"It was that bitch." She whispered into his chest.

"Yes. But she is dead now." He told her, she looked up at him.

"You killed her…" He looked away from her eyes but she called his name and regained his attention "Are you sure she is gone?" She asked. Severus nodded slowly and Ginny felt a wave of shame overcome her at the amount of happiness it gave her to learn that a person was dead. She looked into Severus' eyes and the world around her faded away. She felt her mind lighten. _There is no shame in being happy about her death my love,_ his voice echoed through her head, _nor is there shame in mourning_. She felt his mind pull away from hers and she wished it didn't. The world around them returned, she saw again, heard again, felt again.

Severus left after staying with her for an hour. After he walked out of the room it was no more that five seconds before more company came to join her. Her mother looked tired and worn out.

"Ginny." She said, Ginny looked up at her "You have to go back." She said, Ginny's jaw dropped and she shook her head.

"No…" Her mother looked at her in despair.

"You have too. I am sorry. There is nothing for you here. Hogwarts is much safer. There is hell to pay, yet. It is not over Ginny. I can't bear to loose another child." Her mother begged. Ginny bit her lip before she nodded grudgingly.

* * *

Ginny got back to the Gryffindor common room late that evening. After saying a long goodbye to her family she was escorted back to school by Dumbledore, who had nothing more to say to her than "_There is always light in the darkness, Miss Weasley. Often all we need is to find the courage to open our eyes and see it"_. When she stepped through the portrait hole she saw more people in there than she had expected. She spotted Hazel in the corner of the room and walked over to her, trying not to notice the abject horror and sadness on the faces of students around her. Hazel held up a copy of the Daily Prophet and Ginny took it from her. The headline read _"Diagon Alley the Newest Battle Scene."_. The picture was what she had feared it would be. The street that she once walked down with Bill was now destroyed. The shops that were on the side of the road now served as nothing more than decrepit tombstones for the bodies that surrounded it. She shoved the paper back into Hazels hand. She didn't want to see the picture anymore. She didn't want to see the paper anymore.

"Who was it Ginny?" Hazel asked, Ginny looked away and her friend grabbed her by the shoulders. "Tell me Ginny. Who was it?" She repeated, more forcefully. Yet again she felt tears well up in her eyes.

"Bill." She whispered before her friend pulled her into a comforting hug.

* * *

The latest attacks had caused a wave of panic to surge throughout the entire wizarding community. In total there were three hundred and eighteen people killed on that night. What was left of Diagon Alley was slowly rebuilt by volunteers who were determined to put on a strong face and get on with life. Most of the shop owners had perished in the battle, the Death Eater's spared no one, so their closest relatives were left to pick up the pieces and do their best with their lives.

At Hogwarts there was a definite air of loss, and the mood that was shared by the students and teachers alike was nothing short of melancholy. Most of the students had remained at Hogwarts, only a small amount were plucked out of school to attend funerals and join family members for a week or two. Many people had shared Molly Weasley's sentiment; Hogwarts was, by far, the safest place for their children to be. And so, life went grudgingly on.

Two and a half weeks had passed since her eldest brothers death and the wound felt as though it was still fresh. Her schoolwork merely served as a distraction from her thoughts. On the few remedial lessons she had attended, Severus had managed to help her through the pain. It was taking a while, and there was still a way to go, but together they were working it through.

Severus had acted rashly on the night of the attack. There was no reason for him to kill Fleur other than for his own revenge against the person who broke his fiancée's heart. His days as a double agent were now short. The Death Eaters had been told by Percy what happened that night, and the suspicion that Severus was not to be trusted had slowly seeped through the establishment. Severus was suffering from his own pain as well. There are two things that can completely destroy the human soul, being a victim of death and inflicting it. His meetings with Ginny and the conversations they shared were beginning to relieve the pain. It was taking a while, and there was still a way to go, but they were working it through.

Ginny and Severus now sat in the Potions Classroom working on revision with the rest of the potions class. Ginny sat in the back of the room, Severus in the front. It was the first time Severus could recall that he did not have to tell the class to be quiet. The attacks had shattered everybody's heart and since the day that the Death Eater's worked their magic on Diagon Alley there had been little resistance. For some it seemed futile.

Ginny scribbled down the last few words of her essay and put her quill in her ink well. Thanks to her interest in the potions master, the subject he taught slowly became more bearable and understandable. She blew on the ink to dry it before she stood up and walked up to the front desk. Severus looked up at her and his eyes twinkled in acknowledgement.

"Do you need help Miss Weasley?" He sneered. Ginny shook her head.

"No, professor, I am finished." She told him. The work that she was revising today had already been covered in their remedial lesson about a month beforehand, on the relevance of the phases of the moon to potion brewing.

"Impossible." He barked snatching the parchment out of her hand. She saw a quick flourish of a wand from behind the desk and he threw her parchment back at her, the ink smeared and the work now unreadable. She had to stop herself from telling him off, she had spent a great deal of energy and thought on that piece of work. "Pathetic Weasley." He tutted "Absolutely pathetic. This would have to be the first time that a seventh year has even bothered doing this."

"What are you talking about?" She hissed, he tore the parchment from her hand and brandished it in her face.

"This! Do you think that you can hand in a piece of paper covered in ink stains and pretend that you accidentally smudged it?" He drawled. Ginny decided to play along.

"Well, it must have! Either that or someone cast a spell on it!" She told him. He put the parchment down on the desk and the bell chimed to signal lunch. "Detention Weasley. You have to finish your work." He told her. Ginny glared at him and stormed out of the room.

* * *

Another two uneventful weeks passed by. Ginny was slowly coming to terms with her brother's death, and Severus could see a definite improvement in her mood. There was no news about the Death Eaters or the Order of the Pheonix, it was a tense time.

That evening Ginny and Severus sat in the potions classroom again talking and hugging. Severus played with a lock of Ginny's hair fondly.

"You are not going to deal with the Death Eaters any more are you?" She asked, she frowned.

"I am not sure my love. It depends on what Dumbledore wants me to do. When I ki-… well, I don't think that the Death Eaters are too fond of me at the moment. I talked to Voldemort and I think that he is somewhat understanding. It is not as though she was useful for anything except keeping up male morale." Severus explained. Ginny buried her head into his chest.

"Loosing a brother is one thing, Severus, but losing you would destroy me completely." She whispered, he kissed her head.

"You haven't lost a brother. He is, and always will be, your brother. Bill will never leave you unless you let him. Visit him in your memories, he is still there Ginny, that is something no one will ever be able to take away from you." He told her softly, voice soothing. She nodded and looked up at him.

"You are right…" She smiled "Completely right." Seeing the smile on Ginny's face put his mind at rest. It was the first time she had smiled properly in two and a half weeks. The smile wasn't superficial, it spread to her eyes, her heart. He leant forward and kissed her softly, she responded passionately.

* * *

A few days later Ginny struggled under the weight of her bag. The books that they were now required to carried weighed more than a baby hippogriff and there was nothing that she could do to lighten the load. It was not much longer until the N.E.W.T.S and the teachers were packing on the revision hard and heavy. There was an ear splitting ripping sounds and she felt the load in her bag lighten significantly. Her stomach quenched and she had to bite her tongue to prevent herself from swearing. She took a deep breath and turned to collect her books, but was shocked to discover Professor Dumbledore standing behind her.

"Afternoon Miss Weasley, let me help you." He said with a cheeky smile.

"Thankyou Professor." She said, squatting down to pile up her books. She took out her wand and cast a quick repairing charm on her bag before piling the books back in there. "Thanks again." She said as she heaved her bag onto her shoulders and turning to walk away.

"Miss Weasley…" Dumbledore's voice called out from behind her. She spun around.

"Yes Professor?" She asked.

"I was just wondering if I could have a word with you in my office this evening, perhaps six o'clock?" He asked. Ginny nodded slowly, panic flooding through her.

"It is nothing…" She begun, he smiled.

"Nothing bad Miss Weasley. I just need to ask you a few things." He said. Ginny nodded and turned again.

"Miss Weasley?" Ginny spun around for the third time. Dumbledore took out his wand and pointed at his bag.

"This may help." He said kindly "_Allevious._" He muttered. Suddenly her bag felt much lighter. She smiled.

"Thanks Professor Dumbledore!" She chirped. This time she waited for him to turn and leave before she did.

* * *

Ginny walked towards the statue of the Phoenix and took a deep breath. She had no idea what Professor Dumbledore wanted to talk to her about. She stopped in front of the statue and looked around feeling rather foolish. She did not know what the password was and was not going to bother guessing. She looked at her watch, it was one minute to six. As her watch ticked over to six o'clock the statue started turning and revealed Professor Dumbledore standing on the stairs.

"Good evening Miss Weasley." He said cheerfully "I hope that you were not waiting for too long."

"Not at all." She replied, he stood back and ushered her towards the staircase.

When they reached the circular office Dumbledore motioned for Ginny to take a seat opposite of his desk. He took his time walking to his own seat before sitting down and clasping his hands and then he rested his head on them.

"It has been lovely weather today, hasn't it Miss Weasley?" He said jovially. Ginny nodded awkwardly. "I am glad that it has started to warm up slightly. Have you noticed that your mood often reflects the weather?"

"Hmm…" She agreed.

"So, how have you been?" He asked.

"Alright." Ginny replied, an amused smile tugged at the corners of Dumbledore's lips.

"Just alright?" He mused "I wish the human complex was always that simple." Ginny's face reddened "Have you been keeping up with all of your work?"

"Yes… Well, most of it. There has been a lot of studying to do… with the N.E.W.T.S and all." She explained. If there was one thing she didn't really feel comfortable with it was polite chatter, but she knew that until Dumbledore decided to talk about what he called her to his office for, she would have to deal with it.

"I was very impressed with the Slytherin and Gryffindor match." Dumbledore told her. Ginny furrowed her nose.

"I am not particularly fond of that game." She said with a laugh.

"Oh no… I have been really impressed with the way you are managing the team. Your tactics have been very interesting." He said, she smiled her thanks "I think that they are the most random and unpredictable tactics I have seen during my entire career at Hogwarts."

"I was trying to figure out how to play against Ravenclaw and Hufflepuff and Slytherin using tactics that I could adapt for each game… I realised that was a terrible idea. We knew that the Slytherin's would be rough, and the Ravenclaws would try to trick us. I thought that if I taught the team a whole range of tactics and changed them through the match it would be fun." She said, Dumbledore nodded.

"Very good idea Miss Weasley. Your tactics are very random, so the others would have naturally had a great deal of trouble trying to figure out how to play against you." He begun. They continued to talk about quidditch for about ten minutes when they were interrupted by a knock at the door. Ginny suddenly remembered that she was there for a reason, other than to discuss quidditch. Dumbledore smiled gravely. "You may enter." He called. The door opened slowly and Ginny bit her lip. Severus stepped into the room and looked at Ginny, and then at Dumbledore. She could tell that he was looking for something to say.

"Have I come to early?" He asked, nodding politely in Ginny's direction.

"Not at all Severus!" Dumbledore said "As a matter of fact you are perfectly punctual… as per usual. Take a seat." He motioned at the chair next to Ginny's and she watched him sit down, shooting the old wizard a questioning look. "You are allowed to greet Miss Weasley as well." Dumbledore laughed.

"Weasley." Severus drawled with a curt nod.

"Professor." Ginny replied without emotion.

"Hardly the greeting I would have expected." Dumbledore said, Ginny bit her tongue. "Nonetheless I have brought you two here for a reason." He said. Ginny's stomach dropped to the floor and her grip on the arms of her chair became dangerous.

"Is there anything wrong Headmaster?" Severus asked. Dumbledore smiled.

"Not particularly. I just wanted to ask you something Severus." He replied.

"Does Miss Weasley need to be here?" Severus questioned, looking utterly confused.

"Yes… I don't mind if she sits in on our conversation. Who knows, later we may involve her in it." Dumbledore said. Ginny had to stop herself from swearing under her breath. _This was it_. The suspicions she and Severus had pushed aside for the past year were finally coming back to haunt them.

"Well, then…" Severus drawled in an unsatisfied tone.

"You potions master knows this Miss Weasley, but I am not sure if you do." Dumbledore begun. Ginny took a deep breath and tried to relax. If he did know, and he wanted to put an end to the relationship she would leave school. She wanted to be with Severus, no matter the cost. "I know a great deal about the goings on of Hogwarts. There are not too many things that go under my nose, given that it is rather large." Ginny was always surprised at the headmaster's ability to use humour during serious times "I have had a suspicion lately, and Merlin help me if I am wrong, but I have asked Professor Snape here this evening to help me clarify it." Ginny glanced over at Severus, thoroughly relieved that she was not in his position. He looked as calm as he did when he was marking essays. She marvelled at his composure, knowing full well that it was what kept him alive in the service of Voldemort for many years. "Severus, I would like you to answer a question for me." Dumbledore said.

"To the best of my ability, headmaster." Severus replied coolly. Ginny's heart was beating so loudly that she was sure that Hazel would be able to hear it in Gryffindor Tower.

"This may seem absurd, and I don't mean to offend you… Either of you. But Severus, I would like you to tell me if you and Miss Weasley here are involved in a romantic relationship?" Dumbledore asked as though he was asking a friend for the time. There silence for a second, it seemed to draw on for an eternity, Ginny's heart threatening to leap out of her throat. She watched as Severus took a deep breath.

"Yes, Headmaster." He said plainly. Ginny's fingers were beginning to ache from holding onto the lounge so tightly.

"Is this true Miss Weasley?" Dumbledore asked turning to her, Ginny closed her eyes for a moment. This is what she had wanted for months, wasn't it? Being able to tell someone other than her best friend that she and Severus were together.

"Yes, Professor." She said bravely. Severus looked over at her, his eyes twinkling with pride.

"Hmmm…" Mused Dumbledore thoughtfully as he sat back in his seat drumming his fingers together "That does present a problem." Severus looked at Dumbledore and waited for a few moments before speaking.

"I will resign if necessary." Severus said. Dumbledore smiled at him and Ginny wanted to scream at the headmaster. _Just get it over with_, she thought fiercely.

"You know, this isn't the first time that a student and teacher have found comfort in each other's embrace." Dumbledore said softly "But I must say that the relationship I encountered did not work out to well. The student's marks increased beyond reason, and the staff and students were very suspicious. I had no choice but to fire the teacher and expel the student." Ginny closed her eyes "However, I have noticed that your grades, Miss Weasley, have not improved beyond reason. Nothing that a bit of extra interest in a subject and study couldn't achieve. In addition, it seems as though no one but myself is aware of this relationship…." He looked between Ginny and Severus.

"My friend Hazel knows, Professor." Ginny told him shyly. Dumbledore nodded.

"Well… I have thought about this for a while and I have come to a conclusion." He said in a finalising tone. He grimaced "In dark times such as these the most unlikely people can be drawn together. Often, one can find comfort in the arms of another. I also believe that love is blind to religion, race, gender and age." Ginny felt as though she was on trial, her heart was beating erratically, her palms were sweaty, and if felt as though her stomach was in another dimension. "If you are both serious about each other, which I have no reason to doubt that you are, I see no point in trying to prevent the relationship." Ginny's jaw dropped. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. Surely he was joking. "I just ask that you continue to keep your relationship a secret until you have left Hogwarts, Miss Weasley, and then you are free to do what you will." Ginny remembered that her mouth was hanging open and shut it promptly, nodding in response to Dumbledore's request. "Well, I see no reason to keep you here any longer Miss Weasley, you are free to go." Ginny let the conversation register in her mind before getting up and walking over to the door mutely. When she opened it she stopped. She turned around.

"Thankyou Professor Dumbledore." She said "Thankyou." He smiled at her, blue eyes sparkling.

"Don't mention it Miss Weasley. After all, love usually only touches each of us once. Who am I to tell it what to do?" He said. Ginny stepped out and shut the door behind her.

Severus watched Ginny shut the door behind her before he turned his attention back to Dumbledore. The conversation had surprised him, he hadn't expected Dumbledore to be so accepting.

"Severus." Dumbledore begun, Severus looked at him. "Let me just say that I am shocked that you have found love in the heart of the youngest Weasley child." Severus nodded. "I also must tell you how happy I am that you have found love."

"Thankyou." Severus said with a small smile.

"I have no doubt that your intentions are pure Severus, I know that you are not a ruthless person. But I must tell you that I seriously doubt that the Weasley's will view yours and Ginevra's relationship as fondly as I do." Severus smiled.

"Yes, I guessed that." He said, Dumbledore laughed.

"You have gotten yourself into quiet a pickle." The old wizard laughed, Severus nodded in agreement. "I want you to know that after tonight I will have to forget about your relationship with Ginny. I am sure that I need Hogwarts too much to loose my job. I am also rather fond of my life, which would surely be taken from me if Molly knew that I was aware of your relationship with her daughter." Dumbledore said seriously, Severus nodded.

"May I just ask how you knew?" Severus asked, perhaps they had not been careful enough.

"You are like the son I never had Severus. I know you well enough to notice that about a year ago you changed. I don't think anyone else has noticed, but I have. I was also amused to see Ginevra ask you to dance at the wedding, and I must say, I was even more amused to see you accept." He smiled "Also, my friend Mr. Gratham at the jewellery shop in Hogsmeade was very eager to tell me that you had dropped by and picked up a very stunning ring." Severus looked away, Albus knew more than he gave him credit for, though he should have known he would. "The next day I noticed that you had no new adornments on your fingers and guessed that you must have given it to someone else." Severus felt as though he would blush, but after all of his year of hiding his feelings, he was able to remain his usual pallid white. "If you don't mind Severus, I am feeling rather tired, I think I should get to bed early this evening." Severus nodded and stood up. He looked at the headmaster.

"Thankyou." He said, Dumbledore waved his hand dismissively.

"No need to thank me, Severus. I know how important love is, and I do not wish to make it any harder for you than it is. It takes two strong hearts to stand up for each other when so much is at stake. I just would like to wish you the best of luck in your relationship." Severus walked out of the office and shut the door behind him. He was still in shock. He was sure that Dumbledore would have at least asked them to put an end to their relationship.

* * *

Ginny sat on her bed with the curtains drawn, holding her two-way mirror in her hand anxiously. She had come straight up to her dormitory without talking to anyone.

"Come on…." She muttered impatiently, hoping that Severus would have thought to use the mirror. She had slowly begun to drift to sleep when she was roused by Severus voice.

"I am sorry to interrupt you, my love, would you like me to let you get some sleep?" Severus asked when she looked into the mirror.

"No, no… it's fine." She said rubbing her eyes and propping herself up on her elbow. "What happened when I left?" She asked.

"Nothing really," He replied "Professor Dumbledore just wanted to let me know that while he may accept our relationship, others may not." Ginny nodded.

"So… he is fine then?" Ginny asked unsurely. Severus nodded.

"Yes." He drawled. Ginny grinned. This was more than she expected. When Dumbledore had asked Severus whether or not they were involved she was sure that they would not be allowed to remain at Hogwarts.

"Does he know that we are engaged?" She asked, he shrugged.

"I am not sure, I didn't tell him, but I think he may suspect it." He explained softly. "You get some sleep now, we will talk more in remedial tomorrow evening, okay?" He said. Ginny nodded, to tired and worn out to argue, put the mirror in her bedside table draw, and went to sleep.

* * *

Weeks flew by again and the school slowly returned to it's usual state of being, but it would forever be scarred by the bloodshed in Diagon Alley. Ginny and Severus spent their time in detentions and remedial lessons enjoying each other's company and revising topics that Ginny was not doing too well in. Dumbledore had not made reference to their relationship since that spring evening, and for that they were glad. More and more often the question of how to tell the Weasley's of their relationship popped into their conversations, always with the same result, indecision.

Ginny sat in the Hogwarts library one week before the final match, using the quiet place in order to think about the tactics they were to use. In the common room there was never any silence, and, when she was in her dorm someone else was always in there. She resigned to trudging to the library and sitting at the table in the corner away from all the noise.

Ginny jumped as some books and a bag was loudly dumped onto her table. She looked up. It a Hufflepuff seventh year named Liam. He was in her Care of Magical Creatures class and had a brilliant sense of humour.

"I haven't seen you in here for a while." He said, and sat down on the chair opposite to hers, she shrugged.

"Yeah, I know. But with all of my detentions, remedial lessons and quidditch training I thought that any night I get off should be spent doing something that isn't school related." Ginny replied with a wave of her hand. It was true, in her fifth year and the beginning of her sixth year they would often see each other in the library and end up talking to each other for hours. With everything that had happened in her life lately she had forgotten about that.

"Ginny? Detentions? Remedial?" He said raising his eyebrows, she laughed. "What for?"

"Potions." She replied simply, Liam laughed heartily.

"As, so old Snape is picking on you, then? Never mind we only have a few weeks left." He said "Or, if you cant wait a few weeks I guess I could always go to the dungeon and show him what I'm made of." Ginny laughed.

"No thanks Liam, not necessary." Ginny reassured him. Liam had been a good friend to her in fifth and sixth year, he had always listened to her when she complained, something that even Hermione was loath to do.

"Well, it is good to see you again. What are you working on?" He asked looking at the mountains of parchment she had in front of her.

"Quidditch tactics." She told him making sure that he couldn't see any of it.

"Ah, it's a great old game, quidditch. You're up against Slytherin again. They are nasty sometimes. Just watch yourself." He said, Ginny nodded.

"I know, but sometimes watching yourself isn't enough." Ginny told him.

"That's right. Sometimes you need to watch others. A bit of voyeurism never hurt anyone, now did it?" He said, she laughed again.

"Talking from experience are you?" She asked, he nodded eagerly.

"Oh yeah! I watch everything! These eyes were made for watching!" He joked. He looked at his watch. "Ach…. I have to go. I hope to see you in here again." He said standing up, he slung his bag onto his shoulder and walked away. Ginny sighed and got back to her quidditch tactics.

* * *

The snow had completely melted and the grounds returned to their rich grassy green state. The Gryffindor quidditch team had been practising hard for weeks now, and the final Quidditch game was finally upon them after being delayed because of the attacks on the wizarding community.

The crowd roared as the two teams made their way to the centre of the pitch. Ginny flattened her quidditch robes and shot Aran Petrovic a menacing grin. When they reached the centre of the pitch they shook hands, his grip nearly cracking her bones.

"Ready to loose?" He hissed so that only she could hear.

"I don't intend to." She replied simply, the dislike she felt from him only to be seen in her eyes. They mounted their broom, Madam Hootch blew the whistle, the balls were released and Luna's commentary begun.

"Aaannddd…. Slytherin in possession! Lestrange passes to Demeter…. This game promises to be good. Gryffindor Captain Ginny Weasley must be determined to make Slytherin pay for their performance in last years final. Robins snatches quaffle, passes to Weasley, passes to Ovell… Demeter gaining on Ovell – OUCH! Ovell throws ball but it hits Demeter! Demeter stumbles. Weasley recovers quaffle." Luna yelled excitedly.

Ginny recovered the falling quaffle and passed it to Robins, a grin spread across her face, if there was something the Slytherins wasn't expecting it was for Gryffindor to play rough. Ginny watched Demeter clutch his forehead tenderly, he would have a lovely purple bruise in the morning. Ginny sped up and caught the ball that Ovell passed to her and threw it through the left goal post, the Slytherin keeper Turner watched it fly straight through, not noticing Ginny creeping up on the left side. Ginny punched the air and hi-fived her fellow chasers. This was only the beginning.

Severus sat in the stands eagerly, resisting the overwhelming temptation to cheer for Ginny. He hadn't talked to her much about quidditch lately, but he did remember her telling him that Gryffindor would hold their own in this match. Severus watched as the Gryffindor chaser Ovell stole the quaffle from Lestrange and flew towards the scoring area. Before she reached it she hurled the ball through the air and Robins used the tail of her broom to hit it and send it flying into the centre post. Severus clapped politely as he always did when an opposing team scored a goal, or any team for that matter.

Ginny signalled for Ovell and Robins to back away from the Slytherin chasers to let them think that they were keeping possession of the quaffle easily this time. The third Slytherin chaser Asaro threw the ball towards the middle hoop before it was snatched up by Lestrange and hurled towards the right hoop. Aneas sped towards the quaffle and caught it a split second before it went through the hoop.

"Gryffindor in possession. Weasley passes to Ovell, Ovell to Robins, Robins to Ovell, Ovell to Weasley…. They fly towards the scoring area! Ohh! Bludger just missed Weasley, quaffle is dropped. Slytherin in possession. Weasley and Ovell flank Lestrange. Peakes heads for Lestrange. Lestrange dives straight into the path of Robins. Robins steals quaffle, passes to Weasley, passes to Ovell, passes to Robins. ROBINS SCORES! Three nil, Gryffindor's way!"

When the Petrovic called for a time out Ginny flagged the Gryffindor team members in. They were in the lead with seventy, Slytherin trailing by five goals on thirty. The game was well into it's second hour and it was starting to get tiring.

"Okay…" Ginny puffed "We have played it hard and fast for long enough. I think we should play a bit slower, like we practised. You guys remember what you learnt in training?" She asked, the rest of the team nodded. "You are all doing a wonderful job, Aneas, there were some wonderful saves there. Every body has been wonderful. Just try not to get complacent, we still have a match to win and some Slytherins to slaughter!" The Gryffindor quidditch team cheered and broke apart, fired up for the next part of the game.

Half an hour later Ginny and her fellow chasers had managed to score another three goals, while Slytherin got one. As instructed, they had relaxed a little, and kept possession of the ball for longer. Slytherin slowly learnt what their new approach to the game was and decided to adopt their traditional tactics, an all out assault. When Ginny had sensed that they were confident in the game she looked around. Everyone was in good positions. She brought her broom to a grinding halt, Lestrange and Asaro quickly gaining on her, she hooted loudly and the two Gryffindor beaters Peakes and Coote slammed the bludger they were gaining on towards Lestrange, the red ball striking home. Ginny, Ovell and Robins came together in an arrow-head formation with Ginny in the lead holding the quaffle. Ginny looked up to see Petrovic heading straight for her, bat raised menacingly, she looked to her left and right, giving her fellow chasers a knowing wink.

"It looks as though Weasley and Petrovic are playing chicken! Who will dive first? Petrovic continues towards Weasley, bat raised in a rather intimidating way. They will collide any moment! THREE! TWO! ONE!" When Petrovic was no more than an arms-length away from her she pulled back on her broom hard, letting go of the quaffle. It was caught by Ovell as she and Robins slammed together, crushing Aran Petrovic between them. Ginny watched as he and his broom spiralled towards the ground. She turned her attentions back to the game and watched as Ovell passed to Robins and she scored a goal. The score was now eleven to four and Ginny was pretty happy with the way the match was going.

Severus watched the game, amazed as Gryffindor scored their twelfth and thirteenth goals of the match. The Gryffindor had become a seamless team, all of their trick shots and manoeuvres appeared as though it was second nature, and he guessed that there was some form of communication between them. Their tactics had changed after their thirteenth goal. Each of the chasers now became extremely selfish, hogging the quaffle until the last available moment when they would pass it. The Slytherin team was having a very difficult time keeping up with the changing nature of the game, and had given up trying to pull their own fancy moves, now using their old, dirty moves seen under the captaincy of Draco Malfoy.

"IT LOOKS AS THOUGH NARAYAN HAS SEEN THE SNITCH! She follows it and Green cottons on, trailing a good twelve feet! Narayan gains, only inches from the golden ball that will win Gryffindor the cup! Green has nealy caught up, one foot away." Ginny turned to see Petrovic heading towards Mena, with his bat raised and the bludger no-where to be seen. _Come on Mena!_ Ginny thought fiercely. They had talked about this! She knew what to do. Ginny just hoped Narayan knew that Petrovic was after her, because she showed no signs of knowing. Luna continued her commentary. "OH! PETROVIC SWINGS! NARAYAN DUCKS! HA! GREEN'S FACE SMOOSHED BY PETROVIC'S ATTACK! WAITH! NARAYAN HAS CAUGHT THE SNITCH!" Ginny took a deep breath of relief, Mena did superbly. She joined the Gryffindor team in their lap of honour and flew down to the pitch. Gryffindors clad in red and yellow bearing patriotic banners flooded onto the field with roaring applause for their team.

Later that night, well after the sun had fallen and the moon had reached the sky, the Gryffindor common room was still reeling from the victory of their quidditch team. There had been precious little to celebrate in the past month, and now all of the students were finally able to bask in the lavish party. Fred and George had sent Ginny three full crates of warm butterbeer with a note attached.

If you win the game, share it with the house.

If you loose, we don't need to tell you how to use it!

As well as the butterbeer, Ginny had gathered an assortment of sweets from the kitchen, the house elves were eager to provide the friend of Harry Potter with refreshments.

Ginny now sat by the window with her friends, feeling content and at peace with most things in her life. The pain of loosing still made her heart ache, but knowing there was still good in the world soothed it slightly.

"You know, we wont be doing this next year?" Slurred Colin, who had a touch too much butter beer (and fire whisky).

"Wont be doing what, you goon?" Asked Hazel, playfully insulting her intoxicated boyfriend.

"This! Sitting here, talking, having fun!" He said, emotion getting the better of him. Ginny, who hadn't had enough butter beer, smiled.

"We wont." She said, bowing her head in acknowledgement. The others nodded.

"The exams start in a week." Felicity said with a grim smile. They all felt slightly disheartened, soon they would no longer be able to find comfort in the familiar walls of Hogwarts, which, over the past seven years, had become their home. Ginny knew that she too would have to face the rest of the world.

"I'm tired!" Ginny said getting to her feet slowly, Hazel stood too. She cleared her throat loudly.

"ATTENTION!" Hazel yelled. The people scattered around the room turned to face her. "Before she goes to bed I think that Ginny Weasley, the captain of the victorious Gryffindor quidditch team deserves our applause!" The rest of the common room was quick to reply, clapping and whooping loudly, the chorus of "for she's a jolly good fellow" could be heard underneath the cheers. Ginny smiled, the blush creeping up her neck slowly. Hazel turned and gave Colin a kiss on the cheek before heading up to the girl's dormitory with Ginny. Ginny opened her trunk and took out a fresh pair of pyjamas, eager to have a shower and scrub the sweat and grime away. "Ginny…" Hazel called, Ginny turned to face her friend.

"Yes?" She asked. Hazel smiled.

"What do you think you will be doing this time next year?" Hazel said sadly. Ginny gave her a reassuring grin.

"Hopefully this damned war will be over, I will be training as a magizoologist, and I will be married to Severus." She said, Hazel's eyes widened. She jumped off her bed and ran over to Ginny.

"Married to Snape?" She whispered, looking around to make sure there was no one else in the room. Ginny nodded.

"Yes. What do you think? Ginevra Snape." As Ginny said her name her heart flooded with happiness.

"Really?" Hazel asked. Ginny took out her wand and pointed the tip of it to her ring finger on her left hand.

"Diaphanious!" She hissed. The colour soaked back into her ring and Hazel gasped taking her hand.

"I CANT BELIEVE IT!" Her friend squealed excitedly, pulling her into a back-breaking hug. "Oh Ginny! I am so happy for you!" She cried. Ginny laughed.

* * *

A week later the sun shone brightly over Hogwarts as Ginny Weasley walked out of her first N.E.W.T's exam, transfiguration. It wasn't nearly as bad as she had expected and she had only made a few minor mistakes in the practical part. She walked towards the dungeon, where she was supposed to be having a study period with Severus. She rapped on his office door and opened it slowly. Greeting him with a hearty smile.

"My love!" He greeted her, she blew him a kiss and shut the door behind her. "How was transfiguration." She shrugged.

"Not too bad actually, I don't think I will fail as miserably as I thought!" She laughed, he rolled his eyes.

"You should be so negative, you will do fine." He tutted making Ginny laugh.

"I only say that so that if I do, by some strange chance, fail miserably I wont be so disappointed. If I lower my expectations I will be ecstatic when I exceed them, which is much better than being miserable if I don't reach them!" She explained for the third time that year, Severus wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her against him. He bent his head so he could kiss her softly on the lips.

"You know, my love, you are by far one of the most outstanding and promising witches I have seen in my life time." He told her, no hint of teasing in his voice. Ginny laughed.

"Stop. You are embarrassing me." She laughed, he kissed her again bringing her giggles to a halt.

"Really." He told her as he pulled his lips away from hers "You are the first female Weasley born several decades, surely that means something." Severus said. After a short silence Ginny nodded in agreement.

"It does mean something!" She said finally "It means that the Weasley men have a severe lack of X sperms!" Severus didn't bother rolling his eyes or talking to her again. He just kissed her, pulling her closer to his body. When he tried to pull away from her and she didn't let go he looked at her questioningly.

"You have your potions exam next Monday!" He said warningly, she shrugged.

"Yeah, I know. But we have gone over everything a hundred and one times and I think I understand. What I need now is some loving." She said, she pushed Severus into his seat and straddled his lap, pressing herself against him provocatively. She trailed kissed from his lip to his ear, biting his earlobe playfully. "Do you know that it has been almost three weeks since we have made love?" She whispered, her breath hot on his face, tempting him.

"You really should be studying." He whispered back half-heartedly, he was enjoying her affection too much to mean what he said.

"Codswallop!" She hissed, she brought her hand down to carress him and kissed him passionately. "We are going to your room, and that if final!" She demanded. Unable and unwilling to resist any longer Severus nodded.

"Yes my love." He said. He wrapped his arms around her waist and rose from his seat, cradling her in his arms while kissing her. He made his way to the door of his office clumsily before he let her stand on her own two feet.

When they reached his bedroom they took each others clothes off and Severus lowered Ginny on to the bed. Kissing her softly. He pulled away from her, his eyes drifting over her naked body, consuming her.

"I still don't know why you love me." He whispered caressing her face softly. She smiled.

"Because I do, Severus, that is all there is too it." She replied as if it were the simplest concept in the world.

"Surely there is someone better for you, younger, handsome, richer." He said. She laughed.

"Don't be absurd. There is no one else for me besides you. I want you as you are, old, ugly and poor!" she laughed. He shook his head and kissed her again. Her legs parted to allow him to settle himself between them. "You are amazing Severus." She whispered, he thrust inside her, her nails clawed at his back.

"I love you." He moaned.

* * *

Two days later Ginny had finished her history of magic exam and joined the ceremonial note-burning on the lawns. Ginny grinned as she tossed all of her history of magic notes into the fire blazing red fire, the smoke rose and random letters formed in it.

"No more Binns!" Hazel cheered from beside Ginny as she cast her own notes into the fire. Ginny rested her head against Hazel's shoulder and watched as other students came down to burn their notes as well. After Ginny and Hazel felt satisfied that their notes had completely withered away they headed over to the lake. Ginny settled herself down on the grass by the lake, and Hazel sat by her.

"So, how are things with Colin?" Ginny asked, picking up a nearby stone and throwing it into the water.

"Very good!" Hazel replied happily "He said that he loved me at the quidditch match." She said, Ginny grinned.

"Ahh! Cool! Did you say it back?" Hazel laughed.

"No. I told him to shove his wand up his butt and cast a bat bogey hex." Hazel laughed. Ginny laughed as well. "No, I said that I love him back. I know I do."

"That is great, I am happy for you!" Ginny said, Hazel patted her on the back.

"Enough of that. Tell me all about it!" Hazel whispered taking Ginny's left hand and running her fingers over the invisible ring. Ginny smiled.

"What do you want to know?" Ginny asked.

"Everything! How did he ask…. When? Oh my gosh! How long were you engaged for before you told me?" Hazel said, Ginny looked away from her feeling bad, she should have known that she would be able to tell her.

"It was almost two months ago now." Ginny said.

"You should have told me earlier." Hazel tutted.

"I know. I should have. But it is really hard sometimes. We just have to be so careful. If anyone finds out Severus would loose his job, I would be expelled and who knows what else. I guess that I am so used to hiding our relationship that it just seemed natural. I am sorry." She said, Hazel rested her head on her shoulder and smiled.

"Don't apologise. Just tell me how it happened." Hazel said excitedly.

"I walked down to the dungeon for my remedial lesson and when I got there he wasn't there, so I sat down for a while, and then I realised that there was a note on the board saying that the lesson was moved to the astronomy tower." Hazel ooh-ed and Ginny shook her head "I thought that he wanted to go over the moon's effect of potions. When I got up there he had two cushions from the divination room and some butterbeer. We talked for a bit and then he used legilimency-"

"He can use legilimency?" Hazel asked amazed. Ginny nodded.

"Anyway, he did that whole 'I love you' speech and then he stopped using legilimency and asked me to marry him." Hazel sighed dreamily. And then sat up quickly.

"You _do_ want to marry him, though, don't you?" she asked, Ginny nodded slowly.

"Of course I do." Hazel nodded thoughtfully.

"You are going to tell your family aren't you?" Hazel said.

"Definitely."

"That should be interesting." Hazel laughed, Ginny knew that she was imagining the scene it would cause.

"Yeah, I am pretty sure my entire family will kill Severus." Ginny giggled.

"Well, it is lucky they don't see him then, isn't it?" Hazel asked. Ginny just nodded mutely, hating that she had to continue to hide things from her friend.

"Oh don't worry, they will hunt him down." Ginny reassured her.

* * *

A week passed and Ginny completed more of her exams. As she made her way to her Potions exam she smiled, she would no longer have any reasons to go down to the dungeons, no reason to revisit the place where her relationship with Severus had grown. In two days her Care of Magical Creatures exam would be over and she would no longer have any reason to return to Hogwarts. She walked into the Great Hall and looked for the desk with her name on it. She sat down and emptied her quills and ink onto the table. She looked around and saw Severus sitting at the front of the room impatiently. He saw her looking at him and winked. She grinned back at him.

When the last desk was filled Severus wished them all luck and announced that they could begin and Ginny flipped the test paper over. It was easier than she had expected. All of the work that Severus made her do when she would rather have made love to him had paid off. She focused on the test paper and dipped the tip of her quill in some ink.

Three hours later Ginny put her quill on the front of her desk and blew some ink dry. Severus was walking around the room collecting their test papers. As he was walking away from her desk his cloak brushed her shoulder and she grinned. One more exam and she and Severus were free.

Ginny took her time collecting the things on her table, knocking over her pot of ink. She fumbled around in her bag for her wand and looked around. The other students had left the room and Severus was sitting behind the desk at the front flicking through the papers. She cleared her throat and he looked up.

"How do you think you went?" He drawled, she shrugged.

"Oh, the usual. I think I failed miserably." She said playfully. She grinned.

"I think we should talk before you leave." He told her quietly. She agreed. They had much to talk about.

"Tonight, on the mirror?" She asked, he shook his head.

"No, you should study. Perhaps on Thursday." He suggested.

"No problems. Where?"

"My office." He replied.

"Can we talk tonight anyway?" She asked with a sweet smile.

"You are doing too well in Care of Magical Creatures. I don't want you to jeopardise that. You should study." He said in his best potions master voice making Ginny roll her eyes.

"Really, you and I both know that I am not going to study tonight." She sighed, he glared at her for a few moments.

"Fine. But if you fail I don't want to hear about it." He growled. Ginny grinned and used her wand to soak up the spilt ink. She shoved the empty pot in her bag.

"Fine." She said before skipping out of the room.

Later that evening after Ginny and her housemates had celebrated the end of potions she sat in her bed holding the two-way mirror. Throughout the evening Ginny had to control her temper when some of her friends expressed their happiness about not having to see Severus again. Hazel had tried to quieten them down at times but Ginny did her best to ignore it, after all, if she were not with him she would have probably said the same things.

"Ginny," Severus' came into view on her mirror, she smiled.

"Hey!" She replied happily.

"I won't stay for long, because I am sure you need to study… On Friday what time did you want to meet me?" He asked, Ginny rolled her eyes.

"Severus, really! It is too late for me to study, and I am hardly in the mood. It can wait until tomorrow." She groaned "On Friday I don't mind what time I see you." She told him.

"Okay, how about six thirty?" He asked.

"No problem."

"In the morning!"

"Severus!" She howled, he laughed at her frustration.

"Fine. Would you prefer morning or afternoon?" He asked calmly. She shrugged.

"I genuinely don't mind. You are the teacher, you are meant to be setting the times. Do you have anything else to do on Friday?" She asked, Severus nodded.

"Yes, I have to pack as well."

"You are leaving on Saturday too?" She asked happily.

"No, on Monday. Teachers always have to stay back. That is also when I have to hand in the final marks for the O.W.L's and the N.E.W.T's." He explained.

"On Monday?" She repeated. She had hoped that she would be able to try and organise to tell her parents as soon as possible.

"Yes. That is why I need to talk to you on Friday." Severus told her, Ginny yawned "You should get some sleep." He said soothingly, she smiled.

"What time do you want me to see you on Friday?" She asked.

"What about two, after lunch?" He suggested, Ginny nodded.

"Two it is."

"Goodnight my love."

"Goodnight Severus." Ginny said, she tucked the mirror into her bedside table and leant back onto her pillow, eager to get some sleep.

* * *

At three o'clock on Thursday afternoon Ginny was walking out of the Great Hall having finished her Care of Magical Creatures exam. She looked around at the other people in her year and they all gave a cheer. Their exams were over. They only had two more days and their school life was over. Apart from the feeling of accomplishment Ginny couldn't help but feel sad about loosing Hogwarts, it was by far one of the biggest parts of her life, and now it was over. She hugged Hazel and they went upstairs to get changed. That morning the Head's of House had announced that there would be a party for the seventh years in the Great Hall at four, and it would finish at Seven.

After she had changed into her favourite long green skirt and lacy black top that Fleur and Bill had given her many Christmas's ago, she bit her lip as she looked at herself in the mirror. She couldn't not wear clothes because Fleur gave them to her. But Bill gave them to her as well. She missed him. She sighed and slipped on a pair of black boots and waited for Hazel before they met the others in the common room and headed down to the Great Hall.

Severus watched the hall doors swing open, and the Gryffindors make their way into the room. He spotted Ginny beside Hazel and Colin, she looked stunning. She always did. They walked over towards the table with some sweets on it and took a few before joining the crowd in front of the teacher's table. Dumbledore stood.

"Has everyone arrived?" He asked, the students looked around and there was a general mumble of yes. "Very well. It is with great fondness that I farewell your year. You are all very talented and able witches and wizards. I hope that you all have the courage and strength to pursue your dreams. I also wish you the safest passage through life and encourage you all to stay strong in the light of the war… Let the party begin!" Music flared up through the hall and the students cheered. The students separated into groups and spread out across the hall, some remained to dance and others took a seat. After the first few songs he saw Ginny walk of to the side of the room and take a seat, probably to let Colin and Hazel dance for a while. She joined a conversation with a few other Gryffindors and spared a look in his direction. He smiled at her and she smiled back. He hated not being able to dance with her.

"Having fun Severus?" Dumbledore asked, Severus took in a deep breath. He never had fun at these events.

"Yes, thankyou." He replied politely, Albus laughed heartily and patted him on the back.

"Your time to dance will come soon enough." The older man said before standing and inviting Minerva to dance.

Ginny stood with Felicity, and two other Gryffindors Luke and Jason, talking about what they wanted to do after they had left Hogwarts. Ginny had finished explaining that she wanted to do magizoology and become a veterinarian. Felicity was talking about her plans to become a reporter and work for teen witch when Ginny felt someone tap her on the shoulder. She turned around to see Liam, a Hufflepuff boy standing behind her. She had talked to him at the library a couple of times and they sat together every so often in Care of Magical Creatures class.

"Would you like to dance?" He asked offering her his hand. She smiled.

"That would be nice, thankyou." She replied. He was one of the people that she felt she probably should have gotten to know better. He had a good sense of humour and was always willing to listen to whatever she said, and she realised that was a rare trait in a friend. He led her onto the dance floor and put one hand on her waist, Ginny brought her free hand up to his shoulder. They danced for a few minutes before he spoke.

"What are you doing after you leave Hogwarts?" He asked.

"I want to become a magizoologist. You?" She replied, he smiled.

"You'll make a wonderful magizoologist. I am not sure what I want to do. I think I will to become a prostitute." He said making Ginny laugh.

"Ah! A noble occupation for any young man." She replied. He smiled.

"Nah, I think I want to become a healer or something. Given that I get the marks."

"You are a pretty smart cookie aren't you? You should be fine." She replied. He smiled and they kept dancing.

"Just a question Ginny…" He said, she nodded to let him know she could go on "Is there a man in your life?" Ginny laughed.

"Liam, you forget that I come from a family with seven men." She teased, he rolled his eyes.

"You know very well what I mean." He told her. She nodded.

"Yes… I do." She said softly. He smiled.

"I should have guessed. Never mind, if you are ever available be sure to come and visit me on the corner of Knockturn Alley and Diagon Alley, I think the going rate will be eight sickles an hour." Ginny laughed.

"Yes, and you will attract all types of interesting Clientele there, wont you?" She asked.

"Definitely. I have always wondered what it would be like to kiss a hag." He said dreamily. The song ended and he smiled. "I am sure that there are many other men that want to dance with you, so I will take my leave. But before I can tell you, none of the men you dance with will be nearly as handsome as I am!" He kissed Ginny's hand chivalrously and walked over to his friends. Ginny wondered why Harry couldn't be the same way.

Two and a half hours later Severus was sitting at the same seat he had been sitting at all evening. Ginny had danced with a few people, he wished that he had been one of them. Dumbledore stood up and gave a second speech before calling off the music and inviting the students to come back for dinner in an hour. As he watched the students leave a grim smile crept onto his face. Their holidays were not going to be as good as they all hoped. There was always a calm before the storm, and this calm was as good as it would get.

* * *

Ginny woke up at eleven the next morning after a long night of partying in the Gryffindor common room. She rubbed her eyes and walked over to the bathroom, eager to have a shower. She decided that she didn't want to go to lunch. She was far too tired and she had enough food last night to feed her entire family. She needed to pack. She hadn't even bothered packing earlier and now she wanted to make sure she didn't leave anything behind.

"Hello my love." Severus said as Ginny walked into his office. She looked around, he had started packing up the contents of his office as well.

"Why are you packing so much?" She asked. He shrugged.

"Did you have fun last night?" He asked, she nodded.

"Yes. I just wish that I could have danced with you. You looked so bored." She said as packed an assortment of jars into a box.

"I was. So, we need to talk." He said, he used his wand to move the box of his desk and sat behind it.

"We do." Ginny sighed.

"We need to think about what we are going to say, and when we are going to say it." He told her, she nodded in agreement.

"I think that maybe I should tell my parents alone. They will probably want to kill you, so it is best that you aren't there." She said with a laugh. Severus shook his head.

"No. If I am not there they will probably think it is a prank." He said. Ginny hadn't considered that, and now she did she knew it was true. They wouldn't believe her, they would tell her not to be so silly.

"Fair enough. But I want to be able to tell mum and dad at the same time. Is there any day that you all have off?" Ginny asked, Severus nodded.

"Tuesday." He replied, she bit her lip. It was so close now.

"Then I guess it has to be Tuesday." She said, she continued talking about how she thought she should tell her parents. Half an hour later she and Severus kissed each other goodbye and both returned to their packing.

* * *

The next morning Ginny was fighting to hold back the tears as she sat on the Hogwarts Express, chugging away from Hogwarts. She was sitting with her housemates as usual and she could tell that they were thinking much the same thing. Colin pulled out his camera and took one last photo of Hogwarts.

"This should be a happy moment!" He said with a laugh. Slowly everybody begun to talk about the things that they would remember about Hogwarts, and what they would miss.

When the train pulled into Kings Cross station Ginny said a teary goodbye to all of her friends, knowing full well that she may never see any of them again.

"Ginny." She turned around to see Liam.

"Hey Liam." She replied. He hugged her.

"Just wanted to say goodbye." He ruffled her hair before walking away.

"Bye." She called out after him. She turned back to Colin and Hazel.

"So Ginny, owl me as soon as you get home, okay?" Hazel said with a brave smile.

"Of course I will. And thank you so much for everything you have done for me in the past two years. Thanks for keeping my secret." Ginny said, a smile crept over her face, it would no longer have to be a secret.

"Ginny, do you mind if Colin asks you a question?" Hazel said with a wink, Ginny shrugged.

"Shoot." Ginny said, wondering what on earth Colin could ask.

"Why did you have so many detentions and remedial lessons? You were doing fine in potions." He asked, Ginny laughed.

"Did you think of that question all by yourself?" She asked him.

"No, Hazel told me to ask." Hazel elbowed him in the stomach and Ginny laughed.

"I will tell you if you promise not to tell anyone else, at least, for now." She said mischeviously. He crossed his heart.

"You have my word." He told her with a sincere smile.

"I had so many remedial potions lessons and detentions because I am seeing Professor Snape." Ginny said, for the first time she could tell someone out of her own free will. It felt great. Colin laughed.

"No, really Ginny, why?" He asked, she looked around the station to make sure her parents were not there yet. She took out her wand and tapped it against her ring finger while whispering the spell. She held it up to Colin.

"Severus and I are engaged." She said, Colin's jaw dropped. He looked at Hazel who nodded avidly.

"I….. Gee.. What do I say? Em- I guess congratulations…" He turned around, his parents were calling for him "Snape? Gee… how did that happen… Oh Merlin!" He said. He kissed Ginny on the cheek and Hazel on the lips before walking over to his parents. Hazel laughed.

"I will remember that for ever." Ginny slapped her arm.

"Oh look, there are your parents, you better go." Ginny said pointing to the barrier between the platform. Hazel looked over at her.

"You are alright here on your own?" she asked, Ginny nodded "Are you sure?"

"Yes, go. I will owl you when I get home!" Ginny said giving her best friend a tight hug. When Hazel was through the barrier Ginny looked around. The platform was quickly emptying. She spotted Liam standing by the wall and went over to join him. "Against the wall already Liam? People will think that you are already open for business!" Ginny said, Liam laughed.

"They can think what they want. It will only work out well for me!" He replied. "Are you waiting for someone too?" He asked.

"Yeah. My parents. You?" She asked, he looked away.

"My uncle. My father was killed in the attack on Diagon Alley and my mother is taking care of my grandfather." Ginny nodded.

"Sorry to hear that." She said, she knew what it felt like to loose someone in the war.

"You don't need to be sorry. You are not the one who did it? Or are you? Cause if you are I am going to open a can of whoop-arse on you right now!" Ginny laughed.

They waited for over half an hour, and the station had completely emptied out. Ginny looked around and spotted Remus walking through the barrier. Her heart skipped a beat.

"I- I have to go now." Ginny said quietly. Liam looked around.

"Your parents aren't here." He said. "Oh look, there's my uncle." He said. He walked over to Remus and shook his hand. Ginny looked at Remus questioningly. She never knew Remus had a nephew. But then again, there was a lot she didn't know about the people in the order. Remus greeted his nephew and walked over to Ginny.

"I have come to pick you up as well, Ginny…." He said. She looked around suspiciously. It could be a trick.

"Where are my parents?" She asked him. If he was really there to pick her up she knew what his response would be. It was a code that she and her parents had figured out before she left for her sixth year. She waited for Remus' response…

* * *

A/N: Yay! Chapter twenty two over and done with. I hope you liked this one. Well, I can now tell you that the number I gave you last chapter has reduced to one. So, take what you will from it, but don't say I didn't warn you. I better go before I say to much! Until we meet again!

XXX Sinister Spiders XXX

Thanks to:

**BlueRosesAtMidnight:** Thankyou for reading and reviewing. I hope that you liked this chapter. Stay safe!

**fluff: **Thankyou for reviewing! The next update _shouldn't_ be _too_ long. It'll be worth the wait though.

**Nyah1:** I liked Bill too, but it had to be written. My Christmas and New Years were pretty good as well, spent with family and friends, and that made them great!

**Agar Loki:** I couldn't make Severus disappear in the last chapter, not after all they had been through. Sorry for stopping where I did. I hope you will take this chapter as an apology!

**Mistress of Eternity:** Thankyou m'dear! As much as I would love to write a jillion more Midnight Hour chapters, it has gotten really taxing lately. I have been trying to keep the chapters long, and believe me, a twenty page chapter can really kill your enthusiasm. Although I am tempted to add a few numbers to the 2 and now 1… I don't know. Reading the chapter while you had a hang over must have been pretty interesting. I really hope that you liked this chapter!

**puresilver: **Thankyou so much! I was hoping that the story didn't seem to generic, because I know in the beginning it was the typical Ginny gets detention thing, but I wanted it to be more than that. I feel sorry for Harry too, I usually barrack for Ginny and Harry, but in this case I have made an exception. I couldn't bare to kill off Fred and George, they are such good characters to work with, I couldn't let them go! And the squid thing, no, I wasn't high, but I am seriously considering doing it just as a joke. Keep a look out for it, it will be up soon, 'Oh my Squidness!'

**pink-flame-kit: **I hope that this chapter answered your questions well enough. And I am so happy that people use manners on this site! All the pleases… wow. You don't see enough of that these days! Thanks for the review, take care!

**Angelic Bladez**: Yeah, I was really excited when I wrote the engagement part, because it had been in my mind since I wrote the second chapter, and then finally getting to write it was amazing. Good luck to your cousin and her fiancée. As a matter of fact, my cousin got engaged on Christmas day too. It is about time, there hasn't been a wedding in my family for over twenty something years. And soon, there shall be a baby, well, there better be or I will poo on someone. Don't worry about the dictionary, fantastic is fine! Well, have a nice day!

**HarryGinnyfan23**: I am actually really happy that I have kept this story updated, because on my other account I haven't updated in years (literally), but I am exceedingly keen on finishing this story. Thanks for your review, I appreciate it soooo much!

**sOmEtHiNg – L1k3 – LAuGhTeR: **I know, it is good that he proposed, but I wanted to show that he was waiting until he thought that both he and Ginny were ready for it. Thanks for the review, and I hope that the update clears up who was killed! Until next time….

**I Love Nerds 919:** Here you are, now you know what happened. The next chapter will be up soon and it will hopefully answer all of the questions you have! Stay safe!

**maddudewalking: **You pretty much guessed it all in your review, it is lucky this is not meant to be a suspense fic, otherwise I would have failed miserably! Thanks for reviewing, it is always good to hear from you!

**Angelique Collins:** Thankyou soooo much. I really hope that you liked this chapter as well, I am sure the next one will be fun to read. Hopefully it wont take to long to update! Thanks again…


	23. The Storm

Warning: This chapter contains some content not suitable for people under sixteen.

The Midnight Hour

**CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE: **The Storm

"_I have come to pick you up as well, Ginny…." He said. She looked around suspiciously. It could be a trick._

"Where are my parents?" She asked him. If he was really there to pick her up she knew what his response would be. It was a code that she and her parents had figured out before she left for her sixth year. She waited for Remus' response…

Remus smiled at Ginny comfortingly, ignoring the questioning look from his nephew.

"You parents are in Australia hunting hippos for their ivory." Remus replied. Ginny smiled and hugged him. That was the answer he was meant to give her.

"Are they okay?" She whispered while hugging him.

"They are perfectly well." He whispered back, she took a deep breath in relief.

"In Australia… hunting hippos…. For ivory." Liam said in a state of utter confusion. "Uncle Remus, that is impossible…. I have done muggle studies and there are no hippos in Australia… And hippos don't have ivory!" Ginny grinned and Remus looked at him plainly.

"Of course they do Liam!" Was all Remus said before using his wand to place the two trunks onto the nearest trolley. Remus walked over to the barrier with the trolley, Ginny and Liam following closely behind. Before he reached the barrier he walked over to a cigarette butt on the floor. "Portkey." He explained, they all reached down and touched it, feeling an odd sensation tear them away from the platform. Split seconds and much spinning later Ginny, Liam and Remus were standing on a cobblestone road that led to a picturesque stone cottage. Ginny took a look around and guessed that it was probably somewhere in the English countryside. They walked towards the cottage and when they reached it Remus picked up Liam's trunk. "I will take this inside for you, and you two can say goodbye." Remus said before opening the door and disappearing into Liam's house.

"Well…" Liam said, "Goodbye." He grinned at Ginny.

"Goodbye…." Ginny said back to him. He laughed.

"I don't know what uncle Remus was expecting…." Ginny laughed. "Would you mind if I owled you one day?" He asked.

"Definitely not. You never know, I may actually owl you back." She said. After a few minutes of polite chatter Remus walked back out and dusted his hands.

"Ginny, are you ready to go?" He asked her, she nodded.

"Uncle Remus, would you and Ginny like to come in for tea?" He asked, Remus shook his head.

"Sorry Liam, but we better be off, I have to get Ginny home before her par- brothers worry." They said their goodbyes and Ginny and Remus walked off along the cobblestone path. Before they reached the fence Remus looked around and they took a sharp left towards rolling green pastures.

"Where are we going?" Ginny questioned, Remus looked around.

"There should be a portkey around here that will take us to Hilt Avenue…. It is the street two blocks away from Grimmauld Place." Ginny nodded "So Ginny, is Liam this mystery boy that the order has heard nothing about?" Ginny stopped dead in her tracks and looked at Remus.

"Liam?" She asked, he nodded and she laughed "No, no… wow…. No, Remus, we are only friends." Remus frowned.

"You know, Harry really does like you." Ginny rolled her eyes.

"Please Remus, I know, and I feel terrible about it. There is nothing I can do, and for that I am sorry, but I know for a fact that there is someone else out there for Harry." Remus shrugged.

"Will we ever find out who this mystery boy is?" Remus asked.

"Sooner than you expect." Was all she said in response.

* * *

The mood at Grimmauld Place was the same as usual, boring and serious. Ginny had found out that her parents were both on duty for the order and that they would be back around dinner time. The only other people in the house were Fred, George and Charlie. Ginny had a lengthy talk to them before retreating to her room to unpack her belongings. When she was finished she made her way back down to the lounge room where her brother were watching television.

"Do you know how many people are going to be here for dinner?" She asked, Fred and George shrugged. "Charlie?"

"Um… us and Ron, Hermione and Harry. Mum and dad will come home later but they will probably go straight to bed." Ginny nodded.

"So who is cooking?" Ginny asked, Fred and George shrugged again and she was tempted to throw her shoes at their heads.

"Don't know. Hermione may when she gets home." Charlie said, more interested in the television.

"Then Fred and I won't eat." George said with a grin.

"You would rather starve than eat Hermione's cooking?" She asked George. He nodded unenthusiastically. "I guess I could cook dinner." Fred looked at her.

"Ginny, we don't have a death wish." He drawled. She picked up the book on the coffee table and threw it at his head. After her years of being a chaser she was able to hit with stunning accuracy. The book slammed into his nose and there was a small crack.

"You will have a death wish if you don't eat what I cook." She said, she took out her wand and healed Fred's nose.

"Crazy woman." Fred sighed as she walked out of the lounge room and towards the kitchen.

By the time that Ron, Harry and Hermione came home Ginny had just finished preparing dinner. It was a simple spaghetti, but from what she guessed, it would be better than something Hermione had prepared. She called the others into the kitchen and served their meals for them.

"This is nice Ginny." Ron said, stuffing the food into his face.

"A welcome change from Hermione's cooking." George added, Hermione glared at him angrily. "You save those looks for Ron, young lady!" George said in an offended tone.

Dinner and desert was eaten in near silence, people only speaking to ask Ginny about school and her quidditch matches. Ginny was glad to find that Hermione and Ron had volunteered to do the dishes, so she went up to her room and pulled out the two way mirror. She looked into it. And there was some writing on Severus side, although she couldn't read it because it was written backwards. She looked at it closer and realised that it said _meeting_. Ginny sighed and put the mirror in her draw. She was lucky that she hadn't seen her parents that evening, she had a feeling that it would only make her feel more nervous about Tuesday.

* * *

Sunday passed by uneventfully and gave way to a rather dull seeming Monday and in turn the Monday gave way to Tuesday. Ginny barely got a minute of sleep that night, instead she tossed and turned for hours, contemplating the day that lay ahead. At around seven in the morning an owl flew into her window. She rushed over to the window and opened it, picking up the owl that fell onto the window sill. She took the owl and put it on her bedside table, it looked as though it had broken it's leg. She held her wand out and went to say the healing charm, but the light escaped from her wand before a word left her mouth and the owl's leg was back to normal. She stroked the feathers on it's head and took the note from around it's foot.

_My love,_

_I will be there at three o'clock. Have your parents in the kitchen._

_Make sure they are seated…._

_Severus._

Ginny held the note and nervousness rushed through her veins. It was finally happening. She had no idea where she was going to find the courage to tell them. She sighed and tucked the letter into her draw before gathering some clothes and heading for a shower.

Lunchtime came and Ginny, Molly, Arthur, Fred, George, Ron, Hermione, Remus and Dumbledore were all enjoying a nice baked meal, with pork, potatoes, peas and gravy. Truth be told, Ginny wasn't enjoying it too much at all. Her nerve had almost reached breaking point and she was worried that anything she ate would soon be thrown back up. Dumbledore looked over at her with a knowing smile and she managed to return it. Perhaps Severus had told him of their plans to tell the Weasleys, he was probably there to make sure that no members of the Order tried to kill each other.

All too soon the plates were empty and Ginny was asked by her mother to help her with the dishes.

"So Ginny dear, how was school?" She asked, Ginny shrugged.

"Not too bad. Glad it's over." Ginny replied shortly, worried that she would become tempted to tell her mother before Severus arrived to save her stomach from the anxiety.

"You won the quidditch cup, your father and I are very proud of you." Molly said kindly, Ginny blushed "There wasn't much we could do to reward you, but I think after this I will let you off the dishes for a month." Ginny laughed.

"Thanks mum." She said gratefully. She did get sick of the washing and wiping every night. But now she was of age she could use magic. It was a favour nonetheless. Molly pulled the plug out of the sink and let the water drain. She kissed her daughter on the cheek and left the room. When she was sure her mother was gone she sat down and cast a drying spell on the rest of the plates. She put the tea towel on the table and put her head in her hands. Maybe she and Severus could continue to hide their relationship. It would save Ginny having to tell her parents and losing Severus to their wrath. She took a deep breath before using her wand to direct the plates back to their shelf.

One and a half hours later Ginny found herself walking about the house anxiously looking for her parents. It was ten to three and she wanted to get it over with. She had decided that she would tell them, plainly, quickly. She would be blunt. She didn't think that it would do her any good to beat around the bush.

"George, you seen mum and dad?" She asked poking her head into the lounge room.

"Yeah," He replied. She waited for a moment.

"Where are they?" She growled.

"You just asked if I had seen them, not where they were." He said with a playful smirk.

"Now I am." She hissed, unable to keep the agitation from her voice.

"In the drawing room." Ginny turned on her heal and bounded up the stairs two at a time. She knocked on the door and waited for a reply before opening it. She saw her mother and father sitting around the desk talking to Dumbledore.

"Ginny…" Her father said, she looked at him desperately.

"No problem Arthur, we are finished here." Albus said.

"What is it dear?" Her mother asked. Ginny cleared her throat to make sure her voice was working.

"Can I talk to you and dad please?" Molly nodded "In the kitchen?"

"Sure." Molly said standing and exchanging a questioning look with Arthur.

Ginny led the way to the kitchen and gestured for her parents to sit down.

"You wanted to talk?" Arthur said, Ginny had begun to pace nervously. She bit her lip and decided to take a seat as well. They were at the table and Ginny looked at her watch nervously.

"You know you can tell us anything." Her mother said softly, Ginny nodded and looked at her watch again, her stomach now flipping dangerously. Three o'clock struck and the kitchen door opened. Severus walked in and Ginny's nerves settled slightly.

"Ginny, Arthur, Molly." He said, he walked over to the cupboard and Ginny's parents looked at him "Would you like a drink?" He asked, pulling down four cups. He opened the fridge up and filled them with some cold water before setting the glasses on the table.

"Sorry to be a pain Severus, but Ginny wants to talk to us." Molly said, Ginny could tell that she didn't want to sound rude. Ginny had to stop herself from laughing hysterically. Severus sat in the chair immediately to her right and used his left hand to pat her leg soothingly. It worked wonders.

"No, Mum, I don't mind if Severus is here." Ginny said to her mother. Molly nodded, un-phased by the use of the wizard's given name.

"What is it Ginny?" Arthur said. Ginny smiled. It was now or never.

"Mum, Dad…" Ginny said, her throat went dry. She couldn't chicken out, not now. She was far too close, she took a deep breath and a sip of water before continuing. "I have something to tell you." Her mother and father looked at her eagerly, ignoring Severus.

"Go on Ginny, you know you can tell us anything." Ginny took another sip of water.

"Severus and I are together." She blurted it out a little louder than she had hoped. Her parents looked at each other. Molly sighed.

"No Ginny, really, what is it?" She asked. Ginny looked at Severus desperately and he clutched her hand under the table.

"What Ginny said was true. We are together." Severus drawled. Molly laughed.

"Severus, how on earth did she convince you to do this? Ginny, please tell us what is wrong, your father and I have a meeting to attend." Molly said, voice slightly angry now. Ginny clutched Severus hand tighter and pulled it above the table. Her parent's looked at each other.

"This isn't a joke, or a prank, mum and dad. Severus and I are together. We are involved in a romantic relationship." Ginny said, trying to make it as obvious as possible. Her father's face went a deep crimson and he rose from his seat. He stalked over to Severus and pulled out his wand, pointing it at Severus' cheek.

"YOU GIVE HER THE ANTIDOTE OR I SWEAR I WILL CURSE YOUR HEAD RIGHT OFF YOUR BODY!" He yelled. Ginny jumped out of her seat.

"Dad, you don't know what you are talking about! Please, sit down." Arthur glared at her.

"He has given you a potion Ginny, settle down." Arthur said through his teeth, he turned back to Severus with a dangerous look in his eyes.

"There was no potion Arthur. No charm, no incantation, no curse." Severus said calmly. Ginny admired his composure. She walked over to her father and put hand on his wand arm, forcing it away from Severus.

"Ginny, this isn't funny, he has done something to you and I want to know what it is." Her father growled at her, she had never seen him so angry before. Ginny looked over at her mother for help. Molly stood up.

"It is true, isn't it Ginevra?" Her mother asked, dumfounded.

"Yes." Ginny replied. Her mother fell back into her seat.

"Arthur, sit down." Molly said, Arthur looked at her angrily. "SIT DOWN!" She yelled. He dropped into the nearest seat, still steaming. Ginny sat down again and took a breath. There was silence for a long while. "H-How long has this been going on for?" her mother asked, Ginny looked at her in the eye.

"For a while." She replied.

"Weeks?" Ginny shook her head "Months?" The same response.

"Years." Ginny said softly "Almost two." Her father jumped out of his seat again.

"YOU FOUL BASTARD! SHE IS A CHILD!" He yelled, Severus looked at him calmly, despite the wand pointing in his direction.

"No, Arthur, she is a young woman." He replied, her father's breath quickened and Ginny had to intervene again.

"Dad, I am of age now, please, settle down." She said.

"YOU WERENT TWO YEARS AGO!" Arthur cried. Ginny nodded frantically, seeing the anger in her fathers eyes rise to a new level. She had never seen him this angry before and she was scared.

"Dad, please." She begged.

"Arthur." Molly growled. Ginny knew that she was not happy about it either, but she knew that her mother didn't want her father to become a murderer. "Severus, can you please leave?" Molly asked.

"Molly," He begun.

"Leave." She hissed venomously. "We need to talk to our daughter." Ginny looked at Severus and nodded. He stood from the table and walked out of the kitchen.

"Ginny, he is old enough to be your father." Her mother said, Ginny shrugged.

"I don't care." She replied.

"He is a death eater, or didn't he tell you that?" Her father growled.

"I know. And I don't care."

"He was your potions master." Her mother cried

"I don't care." Ginny said. Her mother looked at her.

"We didn't bring you up to be like this." Her mother cried "He is much older than you Ginny, he has different wants, different needs. He is only using you!" Ginny shook her head.

"I know he is old enough to be my father, I know that he is a death eater, I know that he was my potions master, but there is no need for you to tell me he is using me. He isn't and I know it. I don't appreciate you talking about him like that." Ginny said warningly, courage welling up in her.

"If you were doing it to get better marks I am sorry Ginny. I am sorry that I made you feel that what you were doing wasn't good enough. School is over now, you can end it." Her mother said, tears splashing onto her reddened cheeks.

"Is that what you think of me?" Ginny hissed, her mother looked up at her "IS THAT WHAT YOU THINK OF ME?" She yelled, it was the second time in her life that she yelled at her mother. "How dare you! How dare you think that I did this for better marks! I can't believe that you would think that of me! My own mother!" Her mother and father looked away from her. "Do you want to know why I am doing this?" She asked, there was no response. "DO YOU WANT TO KNOW WHY?" She yelled, a tears now escaping from her own eyes. Her mother looked at her "Because I love him. Mum, I love Severus. I love my potions master, the man old enough to be my father, the death eater. I am in love with him. And there is nothing you or I can do to change that." She said, trying to calm down.

"You are too young to know what love is." Her father said. Ginny stood up and walked over to him.

"And yet you are willing to let Hermione and Ron get married because they are in love? How is it that I am too young to know what love is, but they weren't at my age?" She asked. Her father looked away from her. "Tell me!" She demanded.

"Because he is Severus." He said. Ginny threw her head back.

"Don't say that dad. Don't you dare. There is nothing wrong with him, and you know it. You have been trying to get Hermione, Harry, Ron and I to stop calling him names for years. You told us that we should respect him, that we should appreciate him. So why can't I love him?" She cried. Her father put his head in his hands. There was another long silence.

"Your mother and I don't want you to love him." Arthur said finally. Ginny fell back into her seat, the tears flowing more freely. "He is not the one for you Ginny. We want you to put an end to this nonsense right now." Ginny howled in anger and stood up. Her parents got out of their seats as well.

"It is not nonsense." She hissed. Her father glared at her.

"Ginny, either you put an end to it now, or you can get out of here." He hissed.

"NO!" her mother cried, her father turned to his wife. "We have already lost two! Please, not my baby! Arthur… please!" Molly begged, Arthur turned back to Ginny and she glared at him.

"End it." He demanded, Ginny shook her head defiantly "END IT!" He yelled.

"NO!" Ginny yelled back. "I am not going to end it." She waited for a second "Because I LOVE HIM. There is nothing you can do about it. I am of age. And I have already promised myself to him!" Ginny said, wiping tears away from her face.

"What?" her father said. Ginny took out her wand and pointed it towards her ring finger "Diaphanious!" she whispered, the ring on her finger slowly became visible. The gold was radiant, as though it had been newly polished, and the diamond sparkled more than it ever had before "We are engaged. We are to be married." Ginny said. Her father's mouth opened and closed in disbelief and her mother fainted. A loud thump announcing that she had hit the floor. The kitchen door flew open and Severus ran in, slowly followed by Fred and George. Severus wrapped his arms around Ginny's shoulders. Fred and George walked in and looked around questioningly.

"Get out!" Ginny yelled at then, waving them away. George caught her hand mid wave and looked at the ring on her finger and then to his parents.

"Ah, I see…" George said, he moved aside so Fred could see the ring.

"Who is the lucky man?" Fred asked with a big grin.

"I am." Severus snapped, to busy trying to calm Ginny down.

"WHAT!" Fred and George yelled in unison.

"YOU BASTARD!" Fred yelled, launching himself at Severus, fists flailing. Ginny took out her wand and pointed it at her brother.

"DON'T YOU DARE!" She yelled. Fred stopped.

"Ginny, you can't be serious." George growled.

"Yes, I am quiet serious." She hissed, her eyes not leaving Fred. "And you all better get used to it." She clutched Severus hand and ran out of the kitchen, pulling him along behind her.

"GET BACK HERE RIGHT NOW!" Her father yelled from the kitchen. She pulled Severus through the hallway and used her wand to open the front door. Once they were outside she slammed the door behind her and wrapped her arms around Severus.

"Apparate to the shrieking shack." She demanded. With a blink and a spin, the ground beneath her feet disappeared and was replaced by the wooden floorboards of the shrieking shack. She fell to the floor, dust flying into the air. Severus knelt down in front of her and wrapped his arms around her, kissing her on the forehead. "T-they…" She begun, but was interrupted by a hiccup.

"Shh…." He whispered comfortingly "Shhh… it's okay. I know… It will be alright."

It took an hour for Severus to calm Ginny down. They were both still on the floor, covered in dust. Ginny's head resting on Severus chest while he stroked her hair softly.

"We better go back." He said, kissing her temple.

"Not yet." Ginny whispered "Give them more time to calm down." Severus nodded. She had every intention of going back when things had calmed down a bit more. She hoped that it would happen in the next few hours because she knew that spending the entire night away would only make things worse. Her heart was still sore from the fight with her parents, from walking out of the house

By the time that Ginny felt she and Severus should return to Grimmauld place the last rays of the suns light were peering through the tattered curtains of the shrieking shack. The dusk hues were making the dust motes seem to dance magically, and the shadows around the room lengthened in a haunting manner. Ginny and Severus got to their feet and dusted their clothes off.

"I love you Ginny." Severus said as he leant over to kiss her.

"I love you too Severus." She replied, taking his hand. In the blink of an eye they were standing in the exact same spot outside of Grimmauld Place that they had been in a few hours ago. Ginny looked at him and smiled, hoping that this would be easier than the _discussion_ she had with her parents earlier. She opened the door of the musty old house slowly and peered into the hallway. Still clasping hands, she and Severus walked into the hall and shut the door behind them. There was a rustling sound and Ron poked his head out of the lounge room.

"Ginny!" He said "What happened?" Ginny shook her head.

"Where are mum and dad?" She asked.

"What happened?" He persisted.

"Later Ron. Where are mum and dad?" Ron rolled his eyes and decided it was better not to argue with Ginny. He pointed to the kitchen and Ginny took a deep breath. Ron managed to retreat into the lounge room quickly enough to miss seeing Ginny and Severus hands linked together. Ginny knocked on the kitchen door.

"Come in." It was Fred's voice. She bit her lip, it was hardly what she needed at that moment. She pushed the door open and walked in, Severus closely in tow.

"Ginny." Her mother said softly. "Please sit down dear." Ginny looked back at Severus. If he wasn't asked to sit down, she wouldn't.

"You can sit too, if you like Snape." George spat.

"Thankyou George." Severus replied evenly, he and Ginny sat beside each other.

"Now Ginny, before you say anything," Her mother begun "Your father and I would like to apologise about for our reactions earlier… Wouldn't we Arthur?" Ginny's father glared at her mother. Molly brought a hand up to slap the back of Arthur's balding head, all subtleness thrown to the wind.

"Yes." He said grudgingly. Ginny nodded.

"Apology accepted, but-" She was interrupted.

"I didn't say you could speak yet. I want to say that I don't think that you should blame your father and I for reacting the way we did. While we did not act in the most appropriate manner, you must agree that what you told us warranted at least some amount of anger." Ginny glared at her mother, letting the older woman know that she did not agree in the slightest. "And as for the news itself, I want you to know that your father and I are as far from happy as we could be right now." Ginny went to speak but her mother brought a hand up to silence her "I am not finished. I can't begin to express the confusion I feel at your choice of partners, it is hardly the most appropriate choice for a young lady such as yourself."

"Don't talk about Severus as though he isn't here. Don't say he is a choice, you can say his name, it wont hurt you." Ginny growled, not caring that she was interrupting.

"Oh, come on Ginny. Snape, for Merlin's sake! You could have had anyone! Liam, Harry…" George said.

"Sorry George, but I don't seem to see how you fit into this scene. What has happened today has nothing to do with you." Ginny sneered venomously, Severus placed a hand on her knee calm her down.

"No Ginny, you are wrong. It has everything to do with me. I walked into the kitchen to find my mother on the floor, my father stark raving mad, and my sister in tears being comforted by one of the people I thought she hated. In case you don't know, that is what I call being concerned about your family. Not that you would know of course, because you were willing to walk out on us for the sake of this degenerate paedophile!" George gestured at Severus and Ginny's face turned red, she took out her wand.

"I think that has something to say in itself." Came the calm and amused voice of Albus Dumbledore, he pulled a chair up to the table and took a seat. Ginny looked around, he seemed to come out of nowhere. All of the heads around the table turned to him. "George, can you describe to me just how much love one must feel for another to even contemplate leaving their family for them?" George looked at him, dumbfounded. "Personally, I think that it was very honourable of Ginevra to stand up for her love so strongly. There are very few who would have the courage to do that."

"Albus…. What are you saying?" Arthur asked slowly.

"What I am saying, Arthur, is that Ginny and Severus must have a very strong love for each other to stay together when facing your wrath and the possible exclusion from such a wonderful family." Ginny's father took a moment to comprehend what was said.

"Wait." He said "You knew about this?" He asked, Dumbledore shrugged.

"I wouldn't say that." A familiar sparkle came into the old wizard's eyes.

"You mean to tell me that this was going on under your nose for two years, and you didn't have the slightest idea?" Arthur asked.

"Not _the slightest_ idea." Dumbledore said. Ginny could now see that nothing he said was a lie. When asked if he knew about the relationship he responded; _I wouldn't say that_. And it was true, he had told Ginny and Severus that he wouldn't say that he knew about their relationship. When told he didn't have the slightest idea he agreed, he didn't have the _slightest idea_, he knew it for a fact. Ginny to hold her mouth shut. She looked over at Severus and he gave her a small smile, he had noticed too. Arthur sat back in his chair and rubbed his temples in frustration. "Personally," Albus begun "I really don't see what the prolonged fuss is about. Two people have fallen in love, and wish to be together." He stood up and walked over to the sink, placing his cup in it and heading for the door.

"Why the fuss?" Molly said as though it was the stupidest thing she had ever heard. "These aren't just any two people Albus. We are talking about my daughter and Severus Snape." Dumbledore shrugged.

"And?" He asked.

"They can't possibly stay together, it isn't right!" Arthur cut in.

"Who are we to decided what is right and wrong?" Albus asked "They are not hurting anyone are they? They aren't putting anyone in danger. I don't see what the problem is. As I said, they are clearly in love. Molly, Arthur, how would you feel if someone wanted to tear you both apart because in their own minds your relationship was wrong?" Albus asked before opening the door.

"But that is different!" Molly called after him. He stopped and turned, hand still on the door knob.

"Is it really?" He mused before walking out of the room and shutting the door behind him. There was a long silence and Arthur stood up and walked towards the door himself.

"Where are you going Arthur?" Molly barked.

"There is nothing more to be said." And with that he left the room. Slowly and reluctantly Molly followed. Fred and George rose from their seats and walked towards the door. Ginny leapt at Severus and hugged him.

"We'll warn you now," Came Fred and George's voice in a chorus, Severus and Ginny looked over at them "If you do even the slightest thing to hurt, or even upset our little sister we will make sure you suffer a fate worse than the dementor's kiss." They too disappeared behind the door and Ginny kissed Severus.

"You know," He begun as he pulled away from her "This doesn't mean that they approve." Ginny smiled.

"I know." She replied "But they accept it!"

Ten minutes later Ginny and Severus emerged from the kitchen to see a few members of the Order standing in the hallway, most of them waiting to report their day's work. As Ginny and Severus stepped out of the kitchen the people waiting focused on them.

"What was all that about?" Asked Remus, Ginny looked at him.

"Sounded pretty nasty." Harry added, stepping out from behind Remus. Ginny bit her lip and looked at Severus.

"We might as well tell you, seeing as you will find out soon enough." Severus drawled, some of the people waiting just noticing that he was standing beside Ginny. "Ginevra and I are engaged." There was a shocked silence.

"What?" Harry asked with a nervous laugh.

"Severus and I are engaged." Ginny said. Harry looked between Severus and Ginny and strode forward.

"You bastard!" Harry hissed, Severus rolled his eyes.

"If I had a galleon for every time I was called that today I could buy Hogwarts." Severus said to no one in particular.

"Harry, please." Ginny said softly. Harry rounded on her.

"This is a joke, isn't it?" Harry asked, forcing a laugh. Ginny shook her head.

"No joke." She whispered.

"So…you… you rejected me for him!" Harry stammered pointing to Severus.

"Harry, it wasn't like that." Ginny said.

"Then how was it Ginny? Tell me! I would love to hear." Harry sneered, Ginny glared at him.

"This has nothing to do with you." Ginny said, trying not to loose her temper.

"What do you mean it has nothing to do with me? Ginny, I asked you to go out with me and you said no because of him? Ginny, what could he possibly have to offer you! He is old! He is a death eater, he is filthy. I could give you the world." Harry whispered.

"Harry, I don't want the world. All I want is love." She told him firmly. Before she knew it she was pulled against Harry's body, his lips pressing against hers in a passionate kiss. She tried to pull away but failed. After a second she felt their bodies being wrenched apart and she gasped for air. Remus was behind Harry, his arms wrapped around him, forcing him to stay away from Ginny. Severus was holding Ginny protectively.

"You can say what ever you want to say about me Potter, but if you ever touch my fiancée again I will break every bone in your body." Severus sneered.

"Don't you dare call her that." Harry yelled, his arms flailing in attempt to get away from Remus.

"Harry." Remus hissed. "Harry, stop." Harry slowly calmed down. Ginny stood on her toes and gave Severus a kiss on the cheek.

"Goodbye my love, I will see you tomorrow." With a curt nod in the direction of the people assembled in the hall Severus swept through the corridor and out of the house. Ginny turned on her heel and walked up to her room, eager to get to her bed.

Ginny wove her hair into a loose plait and fastened a hair tie at the end of it. She pulled back the covers on her bed and settled into the crisp white sheets. She rested her head on the pillow and willed herself to sleep. As soon as her eyes closed there was a soft knock on the door.

"I am trying to sleep!" She yelled. The person knocked again. "FINE!" She groaned, the door opened and Ron and Hermione walked into her room. Ginny covered her head with the pillow. The light was turned on and Ginny heard her brother and sister-in-law walk over to her bed, and felt the mattress sag under the weight of another person. Her pillow was tugged from her hands and she found herself looking at Hermione. "What do you want?" Ginny asked bitterly. She just wanted some sleep.

"What happened today Ginny?" Hermione asked, Ginny rolled her eyes.

"I am sure someone has already told you." Ginny said, Hermione looked back at Ron.

"No one has said anything to us, Ginny. Mum is in hysterics, Dad is too busy trying to calm her down and Harry is so angry that he refuses to talk to anyone. Oh, and Fred and George have retreated to their room, I don't want to know what they are planning." Ron said with a short laugh about Fred and George.

"So, you have no idea?" Ginny asked, she wasn't really in the mood for another argument. She just wanted to get some rest.

"Well, we have a vague idea, but we don't want to jump to conclusions." Hermione said softly. Ginny rolled her eyes.

"Tell me, Hermione, what do you think the fights today were about." Ginny asked, bored of the conversation.

"Well… don't be offended if what I say is wrong, but judging by what we saw and heard… well, you know, Snape was with you the whole time… and your parents do seem rather distraught…" Hermione said vaguely, Ron sighed.

"We think that there is something going on between you and Snape." Ron said exasperatedly, clearly annoyed by his wife's vagueness.

"You think Severus and I have a relationship?" Ginny asked, raising her eyebrows. Hermione and Ron nodded. "The answer is yes. Severus and I are together. As a matter of fact we are engaged. Not to mention that we are very much in love." Ginny said, Ron's mouth fell agape.

"R-realy?" Ron stuttered.

"Yes, Ronald." Ginny replied, she held her hand up to show them her engagement ring. She didn't feel the need to cast the invisibility charm on it again, now that she had told her parents.

"Snape?" Ron said in disbelief, Ginny nodded "That is disgusting!" He cried before recoiling in pain as Hermione's elbow collided with his stomach.

"You and Severus are together." Hermione mused thoughtfully "That would explain why you danced with him at our wedding… and why you were so depressed when he had gone on a mission. And the detentions, and the last quidditch game… Oh my." Hermione said.

"It also explains the remedial lessons, my parents' distress, Fred and George's anger and the ring on my finger." Ginny said. Hermione looked at Ron who still looked disgusted.

"Snape?" He repeated. Ginny rolled her eyes.

"Yes Ron, Severus. The man old enough to be my father, the death eater and my ex-potions master." Ron looked at Hermione in horror.

"You do know that he is a murderer." Ron whispered.

"How many people in the Order aren't Ron?" Ginny said, Hermione looked at him, clearly acknowledging that Ginny had a point.

"He killed Fleur!" Ron said "And he saw Bill die!" Ginny bit her lip.

"I have already discussed that with him, Ron, please don't start on this topic. He did what anyone else would have done in that situation. He was out numbered and angry." Ginny said.

"What did he have to be angry about?" Ron said raising his voice, Hermione grabbed his hand.

"He was angry because Fleur had betrayed our family Ron, angry because she had killed Bill. He is my fiancée, even though no one knew, he felt a sense of duty towards Bill. If he was still here he would be attending our wedding." Ginny said, trying not to let her emotions get the better of her. "He did it at great personal risk, may I add. He killed a death eater, do you have any idea of how much that endangers him? He is a double agent, the death eaters will likely hunt him now. For betraying them and killing one of their kind." Ron and Hermione were silent.

"We better go, Ron, Ginny needs some sleep." Hermione said, giving Ginny her pillow. They walked out of the room quickly and shut the door behind them. Leaving Ginny to get her much desired sleep.

* * *

Ginny woke up late the next morning. She gathered some clothes and headed straight for the shower, feeling as though a burden had been lifted off her shoulders. Even though she wasn't happy with all of the arguments she had yesterday, she was happy that she didn't have to feel as though she was hiding something anymore. Now that everyone knew she was seeing Severus she didn't have to avoid or ignore him when he visited Grimmauld Place.

After her shower Ginny headed downstairs, knowing that lunch would be ready soon. She opened the kitchen door and was greeted by four bitter faces.

"Good morning." Ginny said, walking over to her mother. Molly looked at her daughter.

"Morning." She replied unenthusiasticly. "Lunch will be ready soon." Ginny nodded and took a seat at the table with Harry, Fred and George. Harry stood up abruptly

"I'm not hungry, Molly." He said and with that he left the room. Mrs Weasley sighed.

"Ginny, a letter arrived for you this morning." Her mother said pointing to a piece of parchment on the bench. Ginny got out of her seat and retrieved the letter. She knew from the writing that it was Severus. She turned it over and broke the seal, eager to see what he wrote.

_Dearest Ginny,_

_I have a shift today, starting early this morning. I will arrive home at around eight o'clock and look forward to talking to you then._

_All my love,_

Severus 

Ginny smiled and tucked the letter into her jean pocket.

"Who was the letter from?" George asked.

"Severus." She replied, walking over to the table and taking a seat again.

"What did he want?" Fred asked bitterly.

"He wanted to let me know that he was working, and that we could talk later on tonight." Ginny said.

"I don't remember you asking me permission to visit him." Her mother said offhandedly.

"That's because I didn't." Ginny replied "A while back he gave me a two-way mirror." Ginny explained. Fred and George exchanged looks before staring off into space.

"Harry sure is pissed off." George said.

"GEORGE!" Molly hissed.

"Well, she has to know." Fred interrupted.

"I understand that he is upset, and I cant completely blame him. On the same not I don't think it is my fault either. If he wants to walk out of a room and miss lunch just because I am here that is his choice, I never asked him to be immature about it." Ginny said evenly.

"If the person you had liked for ages turned out to be dating you ex-potions master and one of your worst enemies you would be pretty angry too." George said defensively.

"Don't act as though I led Harry on. He has asked me out a number of times, and told me that he likes me, and I told him flat out that I was not interested in him like that, and that I was not going to date him. If he wanted to live life under the impression that one day I would see my error and come running back to him it is his fault." Ginny said, her brothers did not reply. Her mother placed a plate on the table in front of her, and did the same for Fred and George. "Thanks mum." Ginny said picking up her knife and fork. Their mother joined them shortly.

Half way through the meal the door opened and Ginny turned around to see Charlie walking through the door.

"CHARLIE!" Ginny cried, she jumped out of her seat and crossed the room in two steps, throwing her arms around her brother in a bone-breaking hug.

"Hey, Gin." He said softly as he squeezed her.

"Have you heard the news?" George snapped, Charlie raised his eyebrows.

"Yes, mum owled me yesterday." Charlie said matter-of-factly "_Charlie dear, please have a talk to her, she listens to you the most_." He quoted in a perfect rendition of his mothers pleading voice.

"CHARLIE!" Molly cried indignantly, Charlie laughed. He took a step back from Ginny and took her hand.

"Wow," He said looking at her ring finger "That sure is one hell of a ring." He mused, Ginny smiled.

"Charlie! I did not-" Molly begun, but Charlie cut her off.

"I know, I know. You didn't ask me here to comment on the ring. You asked me here to talk her out of it." Charlie said waving a hand in the air dismissively. Ginny shot her mother an angry look. "But I bet no one has commented on her ring yet… am I right?" He asked, he looked around the room at the blank faces "And I am sure that no one has said congratulations, or asked if they have set a date… have they?" Fred, George and Molly shook their heads. Charlie put his hand on Ginny's shoulder. "Am I also right in saying that your announcement has brought nothing but argument?" He asked her.

"Yes." She replied with a curt nod. He let go of her left hand and pulled her into a hug. When he pulled away he smiled.

"I am not going to say that I wasn't surprised when I found out. I was. I had to read the letter three times before I could fully believe it. And I must also tell you that I was especially surprised at the identity of your fiancée. But, don't get me wrong, I am happy for you."

"Oh Charlie!" Ginny cried hugging him again, a few tears escaped from her eyes.

"Charlie!" Molly said warningly, he ignored her.

"I know that Snape was a git of a potions master, but I am sure he will make a dedicated husband." Charlie said, he kissed the top of Ginny's head.

"Charlie, I didn't-" Molly was cut off by him again.

"Look mum, she has had a hard enough time as it is. She has found some happiness in this god-forsaken war, we should all be happy for her." He said in a tone that told his mother that he wasn't going to argue with her. "Remember when I was dating Aradia?" He whispered to Ginny, she nodded "I had a similar argument with mum and dad. They told me that she wasn't any good for me because she was related to the Le'Strange's." Ginny raised her eyebrows, she had no idea "Things didn't work out between us, but I know what you are going through." Ginny grinned. "Are you finished eating?" He asked, Ginny looked over at her plate and shrugged. "Do you want to go for a walk?" He asked. Ginny nodded eagerly and he held the door open for her. When they made it to the front of Grimmauld place Charlie looked around

"It's a miserable place, isn't it?" She asked.

"Extremely. I feel sorry for you, being cooped in there all the time." They walked along the footpath slowly.

"Thank you Charlie." Ginny said.

"For what?" He asked, surprised.

"For supporting me." He shrugged.

"It's all part of the job." He laughed "I was a bit annoyed that mum wanted me to talk you out of it." He said "Though, there isn't anyone else she can ask now, apparently Dumbledore is on your side as well…" Ginny nodded.

"Yeah, he is, I guess." Ginny said.

"I wouldn't like to argue with him." Charlie told her she agreed "So, have you set a date?" He asked, she shook her head.

"Not really. I didn't want to make any decisions until I had told mum and dad."

"How is old Snape faring?" he asked with a laugh, Ginny smiled at him.

"I think dad was about to murder him yesterday… so was mum, and Fred, and George and Harry." Charlie laughed.

"It was valiant of him to be there with you." He said.

"Mmm… I told him that he didn't have to be there, because I was worried that mum would tear him limb from limb. He said that he didn't care." Charlie looked amazed.

"I would have had second thoughts if I were him," he mused, Ginny nodded. "So, what are you going to do with yourself now that school is over?" He asked, Ginny shrugged.

"I actually thought of joining the order, you know, just as a look out or something." Charlie whistled.

"I imagine that mum will be angrier about that than she was about your engagement." Ginny shrugged.

"I just want to help."

"What else are you thinking of?" He asked her. She thought for a moment.

"A magizoologist." She replied.

"Have you applied for any training courses yet?" She nodded, it was something that they had to do during their last year of school. "Well, if you don't get in, not saying that you wont, but if you don't you can always come to Romania with me and be a dragon keeper. We don't have nearly enough people willing to take on the job." Ginny smiled.

"Thanks. That would be great, but I think I am best off staying here." She replied.

"Ah yes, sorry, I forgot." He said, she laughed "I don't think that Snape would appreciate you being so far away from him." She smiled.

Later that afternoon Ginny sat in the lounge room of Grimmauld Place. She had thoroughly enjoyed her walk with her brother, and was now relaxing and watching the television. She heard the front door open and shut and she peered out of the door to see who had come in. It was Harry. He purposely looked straight past her, as he walked by she grabbed his eyes.

"Harry, can I talk to you please?" She asked, he went to keep walking but she tugged him into the lounge room. "Can you please listen?" She snapped, he looked at her but said nothing. "Look, please don't be angry with me. Some things just happen. I am not going to apologise to you, because I haven't don't anything wrong, but I want to let you know that I don't see any reason for why we can't still be friends." Harry looked away from her "For Merlin's sake Harry! Grow up!" She growled.

"Me? Ginny, I am not the one who had an affair with my potions master." He replied bitterly, she rolled her eyes.

"I know, that was me. And it wasn't an affair Harry, he isn't married." He glared at her.

"And you know that it is illegal, don't you?" He asked, she glared back at him.

"It _was _illegal. I am no longer his student, and I am of age as well, so there is nothing wrong with it." She told him calmly.

"He can still go to Azkaban." He whispered savagely.

"No, he can't, unless _I_ want to press charges. Now that I am of age, mum and dad are not able to take him to the Wizengamot. I am the only one who can." Harry turned to leave but she forced him to turn around again.

"What?" He asked.

"I want you to know that I do not plan to leave Severus, so you will just have to get used to it. If you cant, that is your problem, not mine. So please do not take it out on me or Severus, if you want someone to blame, blame yourself." He wrenched his arm free of her grip and swept out of the room. She took her seat on the lounge again, not wanting that discussion to ruin her mood.

That evening after a rather tense dinner with her family, Ginny retreated to her room for some light reading before eight o'clock came. When the clock ticked onto the appropriate hour she took out her mirror and saw Severus waiting for her.

"Hey!" She said, he smiled back at her.

"How are you my love?" He asked, she shrugged.

"Okay. Do you know what?"

"Tell me."

"Mum actually had the nerve to owl Charlie and ask him to talk me out of this." Severus rolled his eyes "But he got here this morning and congratulated me instead." That got Severus' attention. He smirked.

"Really?" He asked, interested.

"Yeah! He said that he is shocked, but nonetheless!" She said happily, Severus smiled.

"Well at least that means that we have some support from your family." He said, she nodded.

* * *

A week passed by and the tension in the headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix had started to settle down, although Harry was still avoiding Ginny. Ginny and Severus had not seen much of each other, just a brief hello in the hall way on two occasions, but they had talked a few times and owled each other. Ginny sent Hazel a long letter describing the goings on at Grimmauld Place, but she said that she was at the Burrow for security reasons. Hazel sent back a letter that was full of sympathy and offers to bash some sense into her family, also asking if Ginny had chosen her maid of honour.

Ginny sat in her bedroom reading when she heard tapping on her window. She looked over and saw an owl decked in Hogwarts insignia pecking the glass pane. She bit her lip and walked over to the window, opening it and taking the thick letter from it's clasp. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath before breaking the seal and reading.

_NASTILY EXHAUSTING WIZARDING TESTS RESULTS_

_Pass Grades: Outstanding (O) Fail Grades: Poor (P)_

_Exceeds Expectation (E)Dreadful (D)_

_Acceptable (A) Troll (T)_

_GINEVRA MOLLY WEASLEY HAS ACHIEVED:_

_Astronomy: A_

_Care of Magical Creatures: O_

_Charms: A_

_Defence Against the Dark Arts: E_

_Divination: D_

_Herbology: P_

_History of Magic: A_

_Transfiguration: A_

_Potions: O_

"Oh my God!" Ginny squealed, she jumped up and down on the spot excitedly waving the parchment in the air. She ran out of her room, down the stairs and straight into the kitchen, relieved to see her mother there.

"Are you alright?" Molly asked upon seeing Ginny.

"YES! LOOK!" Ginny thrust the parchment into her mother's hand and she read over it carefully. She pulled Ginny into a tight hug.

"You did so well Ginny!" Her mother said happily. "Seven N.E.W.T.s! I always knew you were a smart one!" Her mother looked over it again "Did you get a report as well?" She asked.

"Didn't look." Ginny replied, it would make sense that she would receive and end of year report as well as her N.E.W.T.s. results. "I will go and see now, if you want." She said.

"No, go and show Hermione your marks first, she would love to see them." Molly said, Ginny nodded.

"Where is she?" Ginny asked.

"In the lounge room I think." Molly told her. Ginny took the parchment off her mother and walked into the lounge room. Ron, Hermione and Harry were sitting on the lounge watching the muggle news.

"Hey Ginny." Ron grunted.

"Hey! Hermione, look!" Ginny said giving Hermione the parchment.

"Oh!" Hermione said happily looking over the marks. Ron and Harry read the results over her shoulder.

"Wow Ginny! That is amazing! Seven N.E.W.T.s…. and two outstanding marks!" Ginny grinned and bowed.

"An outstanding for potions!" Ron said sceptically.

"I wonder how you got that." Harry drawled.

"What are you implying?" Ginny snapped, Harry stood up.

"You are the intelligent one. You figure it out." Harry growled, Ginny glared at him.

"Harry, Ginny is quiet good at potions." Hermione warned, Harry rolled his eyes.

"I am sure that the shagging on the side would have helped." Harry said maliciously, Ginny took out her wand and before knowing it Harry was on the receiving end of one of Ginny's famous Bat-Bogey hexes. Bogey poured from his nose and grew bat-like wings before turning on him and attacking him viciously.

"Hermione! Aren't you going to do anything?" Ron cried as Ginny walked out of the room.

"No, he deserves it." Hermione said simply before returning her attention to the television.

Ginny walked up to her room, satisfied at the revenge she had carried out on Harry. He had no right to say what he did and she wanted to let him know it. She knew for a fact that her academic work in potions had improved immensely, and she also knew that Severus would award her with a mark she didn't deserve. She tore through her bedroom and retrieved her school report before making her way back down to the kitchen. Her mother waiting for her at the table. She handed her the report and she looked through it.

"You did so well, especially in Care of Magical Creatures…." Molly mused as she read the professors comments. Molly read the comment that Severus wrote and showed it to Ginny.

_Ginevra has achieved excellent results in all of her assessments although her attitude in class leaves a lot to be desired. She is often abrasive and reckless. Unfortunately her behaviour in class does not reflect her outstanding talent in potions._

"Is this true?" Molly asked making Ginny grin.

"Yes. I did make quiet a mess during most lessons. Mostly to… Well. I wasn't always on my best behaviour." Ginny said awkwardly.

"Surely you would have been a little more well behaved." Molly said indignantly, Ginny laughed.

"Not really, I had to make sure I had my fun. That is what changed, it wasn't malicious, it was teasing." Ginny said, her mother nodded and continued reading the comments. When she was finished she smiled and gave her daughter a kiss on the cheek.

"You should show that to Hermione too." Her mother suggested, Ginny took a deep breath before leaving the kitchen for the lounge room. She walked in to see Harry cleaning up the bogey off the floor.

"Mum wanted me to show you this too." She said, Hermione smiled and took the report. Ron threw the television remote at Harry.

"Ginny." Harry said, his face reddening significantly.

"Yes, Harry?" Ginny asked sweetly, not hiding the anger in her voice.

"I- Look-" He stopped and took a breath before trying again "I am sorry. What I said was uncalled for." He said.

"Thankyou Harry." She said, he looked away from her.

"And… I am sorry for the way I have been treating you lately. I … well, I was just angry." He continued bitterly.

"If you don't really mean it, you shouldn't say it." She said softly.

"No, I mean it. I am genuinely sorry." He said.

"So, can we still be friends?" She asked, Harry nodded slowly.

"Friends." He repeated. Hermione gave Ginny back the parchment and she smiled.

"You are the first female Weasley born in decades, and you are a smart one. Too bad there are so many male Weasleys." Hermione said, Ginny grinned.

"Hopefully you and Ron can change that soon!" Ginny said cheekily, both Ron and Hermione blushed. "I am sick of waiting for a niece or nephew." Ginny said before walking out of the room to get a glass of water.

When Ginny entered the kitchen her mother motioned for her to sit at the table, Ginny got her glass of water and joined her mother.

"So, what are you planning to do with yourself?" Her mother asked, Ginny bit her lip before speaking.

"I was wondering if I could join the order, help out in some way…" Ginny said, Molly's eyes widened.

"No." She said, that was it, her mind was made up, Ginny rolled her eyes.

"Everyone else is in it, they are helping, I want to help as well." Ginny said.

"The answer is no, and that is final." Molly snapped.

"Mum, I want to. I feel so useless sitting here and doing nothing. I could at least help. Surveillance or something… Anything." She begged.

"What could you bring to the Order, Ginny? You are not trained as an auror." Molly said, not expecting a response.

"I don't care Mum, I would do anything that I was asked to do. You need all the help you can get." Her mother shook her head.

"No. What will you do after the war?" She asked.

"I want to become a magizoologist." Ginny explained.

"There you have it, you can start studying to become one as soon as the course starts." Her mother said, Ginny rolled her eyes and was suddenly struck with an idea.

"Maybe I can bring something to the Order mum!" Ginny said, amazed at the revelation she had just had "I got an outstanding in potions, perhaps I can join and help Severus brew the potions, take some of the stress away from him." Ginny said, Molly shook her head.

"No. Ginny, Severus has had years of experience with potions, you just finished your N.E.W.T.s." Molly argued.

"He barely has enough time to find the ingredients and watch over the potions, let alone work for the Order. I could help, mum, I could get the ingredients and mix the basic potions for him." Molly glared at her.

"I don't want you to be involved with the Order Ginny. It is too dangerous." Molly said, Ginny knew that her offer was tempting her mother slightly.

"I live in the headquaters of the Order mum! I am already closely affiliated with it." Ginny said, her mother bit her lip.

"Do you even know if Severus wants an assistant?" Molly asked, Ginny shrugged.

"I don't see why not." Ginny said. Her mother stood up abruptly and took Ginny's empty glass away.

"This conversation is over." Her mother growled. Ginny sighed and walked out of the kitchen. She would try and convince her mother again later, but for now, there was a good book calling out for her to read it.

When Ginny reached her room there were two letter on her bed. She opened the one on top and read the unfamiliar writing. She smiled, the letter was from Liam. After she read it she walked over to her desk and wrote a reply.

_Dear Liam,_

_I am so happy that your holidays have been so great, but it is a pity that your mother shot down your ambition to become a_ _cheap hooker. I am sure there are many other career paths you could follow, perhaps a masseur or exotic dancer. _

_Everything here is going well, Mum and Dad have returned from their unsuccessful hunting expedition in Australia. You were right, as it turns out hippos do not have ivory, and there aren't any in Australia, well, except for those in the zoos. You also asked if you may inquire about the identity of my mystery man. No, it isn't the giant squid, although he is pretty saucy. The cat is out of the bag now, so I might as well tell you. I have been seeing Severus (yes, Professor Snape) for nearly two years now. And no, this isn't a joke, I am as serious about this as a Hungarian Horntail is about her eggs. I understand that the news may have come as a shock to you, so, I guess it will only add to it by telling you that we are engaged. We have not set a date for the wedding yet, but do expect an invitation by owl some time in the near future._

_If you are still able to read this I congratulate you. If you are flat on the floor after fainting from shock, I apologise. I should have at least had the decency to send a cushion with this letter to soften the fall._

_I hope all is well with you N.E.W.T.s. results._

_Take Care,_

_Ginny Weasley_

Ginny folded the letter up and poured wax on it, pointing her wand at the hot liquid and imprinting her signature on the seal. She put the letter aside and read the one on her bed. It was from Severus, he would be coming to the Headquarters for a meeting at four and would be staying for dinner. She smiled happily, it had been a while since she had spent some time with him.

* * *

Dinner that evening was lovely. Molly had cooked her special chicken mince pie and it was eaten in the dining room, at least twenty members of the Order had attended. Ginny say in the seat next to Severus and she was completely aware of the looks they were receiving from some of the guests. Dedalus Diggle, who was seated to Ginny's left, leant over to her in-between the main meal and desert.

"Why is everyone staring at you?" He whispered, Ginny looked at him in amazement.

"Haven't you heard the news?" She asked, he shook his head. Ginny knew that he was a very talented wizard, but was very excitable, she guessed that he hadn't been told for that precise reason. "Severus and I are engaged." He almost choked on his pumpkin juice.

"S-Sorry… went down the wrong way." He coughed, turning to Remus who was sitting next to him. Ginny laughed and Severus looked at her questioningly. She made a gesture towards Dedalus and Severus nodded, understanding immediately.

Desert was a very hearty custard tart served with fresh whipped cream. Ginny relished the taste of it, it was her favourite desert, but her mother didn't cook it very often. After desert Albus Dumbledore cleared his throat and called for the attention of the people seated at the magically extended table. Cups were set to rest and when he had everyone's full attention he spoke.

"Some of you may, or may not, have heard the wonderful news. Love has struck the Order of the Phoenix once more. This time, I am pleased to announced that Ginevra Weasley and Severus Snape are engaged." Dumbledore and Charlie begun to clap politely, slowly, Ron and Hermione joined in, followed by Remus and then Fred and George. The other people at the table were either to shocked or annoyed to join in, but nonetheless Ginny was happy that their support group had grown significantly.

Ten minutes later the bloated members of the Order begun to excuse themselves from the table, eager to get some rest and relax after the filling meal. When most of the people had left Severus stood up and walked over to Molly and Arthur.

"Excuse me, Molly, Arthur." He drawled, Ginny's parents looked at him, trying not to glare. "I was wondering if I may stay her for a while and talk to Ginny, we have some things that we need to discuss." Molly and Arthur exchanged looks.

"That is fine Severus." Arthur said grudgingly. Severus nodded politely and walked back to Ginny, offering her his hand.

"We should find somewhere that we can talk." He said, Ginny smiled and stood up, taking his had.

"Perhaps the drawing room?" She asked.

"Sounds fine." Severus replied. They made their way up the stairs and into the drawing room. They sat on the lounge against the wall, Ginny leant over and kissed him softly. "How have you been?" He asked, Ginny smiled.

"Good. I got my N.E.W.T.s. results today. I got an outstanding in Care of Magical Creatures. I also-"

"What about potions?" He asked, she sighed.

"You already know I got one in potions as well." She said dismissively. "I also cast a killer of a bat-bogey hex on Harry." She said, Severus smiled.

"Sounds like you had the day of a life time." Ginny shrugged.

"I also had a talk to mum about my future." She said, from her tone Severus knew that there was something she wanted to ask him. "She refused to let me join the Order." Ginny said, Severus frowned.

"I am afraid I would have to agree." He said, Ginny's mouth fell open in horror.

"What?" She asked, he caressed her face.

"You are not properly trained, my love. It is hardly practical." He said, trying not to anger her any further.

"I had an idea though," she begun. He knew that this was leading somewhere. "It must be hard on you sometimes" she sighed, he was just waiting for the point "you know, with all the potion brewing you have to do as well as your shifts." She looked at him for a response, but he remained emotionless.

"What are you trying to say?" Severus asked, Ginny smiled.

"You know me too well. What I am saying is that you need help. I could help you. I could get the ingredients for you and brew the basic potions." Severus looked at her as though he was sizing her up for the job.

"So, you are saying that you want to be my assistant?" He asked, Ginny nodded, fully expecting him to say no.

"That isn't such a bad idea. Although you will have to ask Albus." He said, Ginny threw herself at him.

"Really?" She asked, he nodded and brought his lips close to her ears.

"You are so sexy when you are concentrating." He whispered, hot breath caressing her ear sensually, she grinned. She kissed him passionately and sat back. "Now that we have that out of the way," he begun, "I believe we have a wedding to plan." Ginny laughed in excitement. He took her hand.

"Do you want to set a date?" She asked.

"Yes, and you can start planning as soon as you want to." He told her, she could hardly contain her excitement. She was finally able to plan her wedding, something she had been dreaming about ever since she was three. "But," He said "We can't plan anything too large, the times are still treacherous." Ginny smiled.

"So, you don't want to wait until the end of the war?" She asked.

"Not unless you do." He replied. She shook her head quickly.

"Of course not!" Ginny said, she thought for a moment. "What about the second of August?" She asked. Severus smiled.

"On Lammas?" He asked, she nodded. She wasn't sure whether he would know about the holiday. "I think that would be appropriate." He said. Lammas was the festival often associated with the shifting of the Wheel of the Year to signal the beginning of the harvest year. Ginny knew that it was an old fashioned holiday, rarely celebrated any more, but she thought that it was a good choice. Symbolic of their relationship taking a turn, they would finally be able to reap the rewards of their perseverance and dedication towards each other. There were footsteps outside and Severus looked into the hallway. "Albus?" He asked, Dumbledore popped his head into the room.

"What is it, Severus?" He asked in an amused tone.

"Ginny and I have something to discuss with you." Severus replied, Dumbledore smiled and walked into the room, sitting on one of the chair in front of the desk.

"What can I help you with?" He asked, blue eyes shining.

"Well, Ginny wanted to join the Order of the Phoenix." Severus begun.

"Oh! How delightful!" Albus said, Ginny smiled.

"And her mother and I both thought that she may not be able to without training." Albus chewed on his lip thoughtfully. "But, Ginny had a wonderfully idea." Severus patted Ginny on the leg, telling her to continue.

"Well, I was wondering if it was possible to become Severus' assistant, I could help him gather ingredients and brew some of the basic potions." Ginny said hopefully, Dumbledore strokes his long white beard and thought for a few moments.

"I don't see why not, just as long as you attend the course you have applied for at Newtlore when the time comes." Ginny nodded, she realised that she had the marks for the magizoology course that she wanted to get into, she would study it at Newtlore, a training school for every subject to do with magical creatures.

* * *

Two days later Ginny had talked to her mother about her discussion with Severus and Dumbledore. Mrs. Weasley grudgingly approved of her daughters new found role in the Order of the Phoenix and the date she had set for her wedding.

A week after the initial discussion with Dumbledore Ginny was being trained about the basic fighting techniques and spells, just in case she needed them. She was also told that if the need arise she may be called to take a surveillance shift. The training was a full, forty hour week, at the end of which Mad-Eye Moody said that Ginny would be capable of holding her own in case of an emergency.

Ginny quickly ate breakfast in the kitchen on a Monday morning, in five minutes she would have to apparate to the front of Severus' house on Spinner's End to begin her first day as his brewing assistant. Ginny found out that while there were other people that brewed potions for the order, their attentions were slowly being turned to more defensive measures such as surveillance and under cover work.

In the fortnight that had passed Ginny had managed to find time to send out invitations to her wedding. She had also asked Dumbledore if he would be willing to conduct the ceremony, he was more than happy to accept. The mood towards Ginny and Severus' relationship was very slowly becoming neutral, one of the main signs was Fred and Georges joking nature returning when she spoke to them.

Ginny swallowed the last of her orange juice and picked up the bag she had beside the chair she was on, checking it one last time. She placed her hand on her hip pocket, making sure her wand was there. She stood up and walked down the hall and out of the front door. She made her way into the small side passage beside the Black House and closed her eyes. In a split second she opened them again and she was standing in front of Severus' house. She smiled to herself and walked towards the door, it was getting easier to apparate, and the odd sensations she used to feel were slowly ebbing away. Ginny knocked on the door and only had to wait a few seconds before she was greeted by Severus. She stepped into his house and he shut the door, she threw herself against him and kissed him hungrily. When she pulled away he caressed her face softly.

"So, what are we doing today?" She asked. He took her hand and led her through the lounge room and into the kitchen. He took out his wand and tapped the pantry door twice, saying "mandrake root". He opened the door and there was an old, dark staircase leading down to what Ginny guessed was a basement. He led her down the stairs, lighting some candles on the way. The room that was illuminated made Ginny gasp. There were cauldrons of every shape and side stacked against the far wall of the sizeable room. The other wall was covered with hundreds of jars containing potions ingredients, some of which Ginny had only read about. There was also a cold storage box and a few tanks in the corner of the room containing small, live creatures. In the middle of the room there was a large table with several cutting boards and boxes filled with various potion-making tools. Against the wall adjacent to the one with the ingredients there was a sturdy looking granite bench with five burners on it. Ginny looked at Severus.

"What do you think?" He asked with a grin.

"A little small, isn't it?" She teased. He led her over to the table and pointed to a piece of parchment.

"If you want, you can brew the first two potions, but, if you would prefer I can get you a chair and you can work on the wedding arrangements." He said, Ginny laughed sceptically.

"I didn't become your assistant to make wedding arrangements." She said, he shrugged.

"Well, help yourself to the ingredients you need." He said, she kissed him on the cheek. "And if you are interested I think that we will have some spare time after we are finished brewing the potions." Ginny grinned, she knew exactly what he wanted

"Well, we better get started then, all this mindless chatter is wasting precious time!"

At four o'clock that afternoon Ginny and Severus were lying in his four poster bed. Severus looked at the clock on his bedside table and kissed her on the forehead.

"You'd better go my love, you are meant to be back by four thirty." He said, Ginny smiled.

"I still have half an hour." She replied.

"Yes, but that is how long it will take you to get ready." She poked him in the ribs. "What, it is the truth?" She kissed his cheek and stood up, she picked up her clothes from beside the bed and pulled them on. She walked over to the door and picked up her bag, pulling out some parchment. She walked back over to the bed and sat down, she pulled his head into her lap and placed the parchment in his hand.

"Just some plans for the wedding that I thought I would run by you." She said, he read what she had written on the parchment. Ginny stroked his hair lovingly. She was so relieved that they were finally able to be together without having to make excuses for the time they spent with each other. He handed her the parchment.

"It looks wonderful." He said. She sighed. "What is wrong?" He asked.

"I was just wondering, after the wedding, will I have to stay at Grimmauld Place?" She asked in a melancholic tone. He kissed her hand.

"We will see." He said, she frowned and he brought his hand up to caress her face "I think we will have a hard time convincing your parents to let you leave the safety of the headquarters." He explained. She shrugged in a disheartened manner and looked away from him. "I know, my love," He whispered "It isn't really what we want, but I am concerned about your safety first and foremost." She nodded mutely "If it will make you feel better I will have a talk with your parents." She smiled and kissed him.

"Thankyou." She said, her tone sounding much happier.

"Now, you better go." He said, he sat up stepped off the bed. He walked over to his wardrobe and pulled out a dressing gown. He put it on and walked over to her, offering her his hand and helping her off the bed. He walked her down the stairs to the front door where she kissed him goodbye before walking out of the house and apparating back to Grimmauld Place.

Once back inside the headquarters for the Order of the Phoenix Ginny walked into the kitchen and put her bag on the table. She sat down, exhausted from the long day of potion brewing and the fervent afternoon of love making.

"Where have you been?" Her mother asked, entering the kitchen, Ginny rolled her eyes.

"Mum, I am three minutes late." She said exasperatedly. Fred and George followed Molly into the kitchen.

"Severus should know better than to hold you back, he should have know that I would be worried about you." Molly mumbled more to herself than to Ginny.

"Again mum, it is only three minutes." Ginny sighed, Fred and George took a seat at the table.

"Who knows what could have happened to you," Molly continued her frantic mumbling "You could have been captured by death eaters, or killed, or who knows what. I should knock some sense into that man. Imagine that. Keeping you back-" Molly's mumbling was overpowered by Fred's voice.

"You know Ginny, that isn't really what she is worried about." Fred said, Ginny looked at him.

"Yeah, Fred is right, Gin." George stated matter-of-factly "That's now what mum is worried about at all."

"Yep. She is worried that you are late because you were shagging old Snape!"

"FRED!" Mrs Weasley cried, dropping the pot she was holding, spilling water all over the floor, Ginny blushed furiously.

"What mum?" Fred asked "You worried that Ginny was having a shag?"

"That she was doing the dirty deed?" George added.

"Copulating."

"Mating."

"Banging."

"Making love."

"Engaging in coitus."

"Doing the wild thing."

"Frolicking in the grassy green pastures of desire-"

"ENOUGH!" Shouted Molly interrupting Fred and George's word association game. There was a tense silence before Fred and George burst out laughing. Ginny bit her lip, embarrassment flooding through her.

"Oh, come on mum!" George laughed, wiping tears of laughter from his eyes. Ginny stood up and walked over to her mother, trying to ignore the immature laughter behind her back.

"Mum, I was wondering if I could ask you something?" She said, Molly looked at her and nodded, still trying to recover from her outburst at Fred and George.

"Go ahead dear." She said, taking out her wand and mopping up the spilt water.

"Well, after the wedding I was wondering if it would be okay with you if I moved in with Severus." Molly placed a hand on her heart and leant against the bench. Fred and George howled with laughter.

"W-well… I…" Molly begun.

"Think about it mum," George begun "you can either let them do it here, under your roof-"

"Or there, under his roof." Fred finished. Molly shot them both harsh looks.

"Either way mum, you have to face it, they will be shagging." Fred said evenly.

"That's right, they will be doing the dirty deed."

"Screwing."

"Humping."

"Tasting the forbidden fruits."

"Making the beast with two backs"

"Exploring the exotic seas of unadulterated gratification."

"BE QUIET NOW, OR SO HELP ME-" Molly begun, brandishing a wooden spoon violently in Fred and George's direction. The twin's laughter started up again, louder and more enthusiastic than before.

"Just think about it, please, mum." Ginny said before she walked over to the table and picked up her bag. She walked towards the door, making sure to give the twins a sharp slap across the back of the head before she left the room.

* * *

The next few weeks passed by. All across Europe a nervous tension was growing. There had been no sign of action from either the death eaters or the resistance and people were reaching their wits end. They knew for sure that the war was not over, and that the worst was yet to come, but they couldn't enjoy the peace out of fear that something may happen.

Ginny and Severus were thoroughly enjoying the time they spent together while brewing potions. After the incident with Fred and George on her first day of brewing duty, Molly had insisted that Ginny was back at Grimmauld Place by precisely four thirty, otherwise she would withdraw her approval of the marriage.

The wedding plans were coming along well, Ginny had received R.S.V.P's from all of the guests she had invited stating whether or not they would be able to make it or not, and she was now working on the final touches and last minute arrangements with help from Hermione.

Ginny put a cap on the two phials of bright orange potion that she had just brewed. She held them up for Severus to see and he smiled.

"You have done a wonderful job." He said looking at them intently; there was nothing wrong with them. They were the perfect colour and consistency; Ginny's skills in potion making were improving greatly. "Not many people get that potion on their first go." He told her.

"Well, it meant a lot to me that I make it right." She said, putting the phials into her bag. "Are you sure that the Order won't mind us using their stores to make this?" She asked.

"I don't see why, the ingredients can easily be replaced on your next trip to Diagon Alley." Severus said. Ginny walked over to him and kissed him on the cheek before picking up her bag.

"I better go before mum has a fit." Ginny said. She made her way out of the house and apparated back to Grimmauld place.

* * *

On the first of August Ginny arrived at Hogwarts with Hermione and a few aurors carrying a suitcase full of clothes, cosmetics and various toiletries. Because of some of the people who she invited to the wedding, it was not appropriate to hold it at the Headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix, and she couldn't hold it at the Burrow because it was too dangerous to return there. Albus Dumbledore kindly offered the halls of Hogwarts, Ginny thought that getting married at Hogwarts was very appropriate for Severus and herself to be wed in the school and was more than happy to accept Dumlbedore's offer. After a laborious set of discussions with her parents and Severus, Ginny finally managed to gain their permission to move out of Grimmauld Place. She was of age, but she did want their blessing

Ginny looked over at Hermione who smiled back at her, it must have been a relief for Hermione to see Hogwarts again, it was her home for seven years as well.

"I have missed this place." Hermione sniffed, Ginny rubbed her arm. One of the aurors cleared his throat from behind the two women and gestured towards the grand front doors of the castle.

Ginny and Hermione taken through the castle and shown to two of the teacher's quarters. After they dropped off their bags they met at the stairs on the first floor.

"So, what do you want to do first?" Hermione asked, Ginny smiled.

"I guess we should set out the seats and work around that." Ginny said with a shrug. They walked towards the Great Hall. The school was completely silent except for their footsteps, and it was strange, Ginny was so used to hearing students talking and yelling, and teachers telling them off.

An hour later, Ginny and Hermione had managed to arrange the chairs and were sitting down on the raised platform at the front of the room having a much deserved rest.

"What were you going to use to decorate this place?" Hermione asked Ginny.

"Well, Dumbledore told me about a store room that has old furniture and rugs in it, I thought that we could probably get something from there and charm it. I will also have some flowers coming tomorrow, but Mum said she would pick them up for me. And Dumbledore also told me about a spell to bewitch the banners." Ginny said. Hermione smiled.

"Well, you are more organised than I thought." She laughed, Ginny grinned.

"Thanks for volunteering to help me." Ginny said.

"It was no problem," Hermione said dismissively.

"I was worried that no one would be willing to help." Ginny told her, she bit her lip.

"You are my friend, and sister-in-law, Ginny. Of course I want to help you." Hermione said.

"Do you think my parents are okay with all of this now?" Ginny gestured to the chairs around her and Hermione clasped her hand.

"I think they have gotten used to the idea, now that they know that you are more mature and responsible than what they initially gave you credit for." Hermione said softly "I still don't think that they are too keen on having Severus as a son-in-law, but they will grow to accept him. Don't worry Ginny, deep down we are all happy for you, some of us just have a harder time showing it than others." Ginny smiled, Hermione knew exactly what she needed to her. Hermione laughed "Although the amount of shock your news generated was amazing." Hermione said, Ginny laughed as well.

"I felt so rotten that I had to hide it for so long." Ginny told her.

"I understand."

"It wasn't as though I wanted to hide it, but I had to, or…." She drifted off.

"Or you would both get into a lot of trouble. You did the right thing." Hermione said, Ginny smiled.

"Thanks, Hermione." Hermione got to her feet and brushed off the jeans she was wearing.

"Well, we better keep going, we have quiet a bit to do." Hermione said, Ginny nodded.

Later that afternoon Ginny and Hermione walked down to the front gate with two aurors to meet Hazel. Ginny hugged her best friend happily and planted a kiss on her cheek.

"Thankyou so much for coming early!" Ginny cried, Hazel laughed.

"Oh, come on, as if I want to miss out on all of the fun." Hazel said, "Hello Hermione." Hazel said with a nod. Ginny took bag and Hazel looked up at the castle in awe. "You know, I never thought I would see this castle again." She mused "How did you manage to organise it so that your wedding is here?" Hazel asked.

"Oh, you know, mum and dad are friends with Dumbledore and all…" Ginny said vaguely.

"Enough talking. What needs to be done?" Hazel asked, Ginny smiled and explained what they had to do on the way up to the castle.

* * *

The next morning Ginny was awoken by a pillow being thrown at her head. She rubbed her eyes and sat up.

"You know," Growled Hazel "You think that you would wake up of your own accord on your wedding day, but nooooo." She threw another pillow at Ginny "You just have to be your usual Ginny self and sleep in!" Ginny sat up.

"Okay, okay, I'm up." Hazel sat down on the bed and poked Ginny in the ribs playfully.

"Well, Hermione said we should let you sleep in for a while." Hazel said, Ginny raised her eyebrows.

"What time is it?" She asked.

"Eleven thirty!" Hazel replied. Ginny swore and jumped out of bed. Her wedding was in four and a half hours and she hadn't finished the decorating.

"Hermione let me sleep in? But there is so much to do! Is she crazy?" Ginny said changing from her pyjamas into and old pair of jeans and a t-shirt.

"Ginny, settle down, it is all done." Hazel laughed, Ginny looked at her and flopped back down onto her bed. "All you have to do is take a long, hot bath and relax. When you want your hair and makeup done come down to the hall, but knock on the door, don't come in. We want to surprise you." Hazel said. Ginny sighed, knowing better than to argue.

Severus looked at his reflection in the mirror and adjusted his dress robes slightly. He took one last look around his bedroom. He had changed his sheets, they were now black in stead of white, and he had spread rose petals over it. He had set candles all around the room. He knew that Ginny would appreciate the effort, even though he didn't mind if the decoration was there or not. He placed his wand in his pocket at walked downstairs. His hand touched the doorknob and there was a knock on the door. He didn't know that anyone was going to visit him. He opened it and had to make sure that he did not show his anger.

"Hello Severus." Drawled Lucius Malfoy. Severus looked around to see another two death eaters who he didn't know, but were in the outer circle.

"Lucius." Severus replied. Lucius looked at him and an amused smile spread across his face.

"Going somewhere?" He asked, Severus nodded curtly.

"As a matter of fact I am," Severus replied coolly. Lucius took a step into Severus' house. "I have to go to a formal dinner for the Order of the Phoenix, I have already told the Dark Lord of this." Severus added calmly.

"Oh, we wont take up much of your time." Lucius sneered and motioned for the two men to follow him into the house. "I wanted to introduce you to Pierre Luxor and Hans Freigman." He said motioning to the two lower level death eaters.

"How do you do, gentlemen?" Severus said, the men simply stared at him.

"These are the two men that will be fighting with you…" Lucius drifted off and Severus looked at them as though he was sizing them up.

"Very well, please tell Lord Voldemort that I am grateful for his assistance." Severus said, Lucius nodded and walked over to the door.

"Goodbye Severus." Lucius said "I am glad to see that you are making such an effort to dress up for the _Order_." He spat before walking out of the door. Severus shut it after him and looked around the house. He took out his wand and cast a number of protective charms before walking to the farthest corner of the back yard. He closed his eyes and apparated to the Hogwarts gate.

Ginny sat in the transfiguration classroom nervously. Everything was done, and now all she had to do was wait for her mother to come and get her. When she last asked Hazel if Severus had arrived yet she changed the topic and talked about the weather instead. Ginny was worried that he had been held up. There was a knock on the door and Ginny jumped.

"Who is it?" She asked.

"Harry."

"Oh, come in." she said, trying not to sound as though she had been let down. She was sure that it would be her mother. Harry opened the door and walked into the room. He looked at Ginny.

"Y-You look amazing." He said, Ginny blushed.

"Thankyou Harry." She said, he walked over to her and held out his hand.

"Your mother wanted me to come and get you." He said, she hopped down off the desk and took his hand. "And…." She looked at him "I want to wish you the best of luck." She kissed him on the cheek.

"Thanks Harry, you have no idea how much that means to me."

Severus stood outside the doors of the Great Hall, looking calm and composed. It was minutes before the wedding was due to begin, and he had not seen or heard from Ginny all day. He felt a sudden wave of cold rush through him.

"Well, if it isn't stink winky Snape!" cackled Peeves, Severus rolled his eyes.

"Honestly, you pathetic poltergeist, do you have nothing better to do?" Severus drawled, dodging a spit wad that was sent his way. "What was that sound?" He cupped a hand to his ear "Oh, Peeves, I do believe I heard myrtle calling for you." Peeves dropped the straw he was using to shoot balls of saliva-coated tissue and his eyes widened.

"I told her to leave me alone!" He cried before whizzing down the corridor. Severus smiled to himself and turned to the stairs. To his great relief he saw Ginny and Harry descending the staircase. Her long red hair flowing freely down her back, a lock of hair from either side of her head pulled back into a loose pony tail, white baby's breath entwined through her hair. Her long white dress was trailing delicately on the steps behind her. The top of her dress was a corset embroidered with delicate gold Celtic knots, she had two gold bands wrapped around her upper arms from which delicate strips of white material flowed. She looked down at him and smiled. He walked over to the base of the stairs and Harry offered Ginny's hand to him.

"Thank you Harry." Severus said, not wanting any of his reservations about Harry to surface on his wedding day.

"That is okay Severus." Harry replied, before walking over to the hall and opening the doors wide. Ginny and Severus followed him, hand in hand.

Ginny looked at Severus, he looked amazing. His cloak was floor length and made out of fine black silk, lined with silver silk. The silver clasp on it matched Ginny's Celtic knot pattern perfectly. His dress robes were made and lined with the same black and silver silk, with a high, priest neck collar and silver buttons.

When Ginny walked into the Great Hall she couldn't help but smile. The chairs were arranged in the centre of the room in the shape of a circle, about four feet from the edge of the circle of seats there was a circumference of tall gold candelabras with pure white candles burning around. She and Severus entered through a gap at the back of the circle, which magically closed up behind them, and walked around the circle once. Most of the people they had invited turned up, including some of Ginny's house mates, Ginny's relatives and some of the Hogwarts Professors that she invited for Severus. When they had completed a full circle they stopped in front of where Professor Dumbledore was standing. Ginny looked towards the room, which reflected the soft light of dusk. Her eyes fell on the school banners that she had bewitched the previous night to become a pearly white colour. She smiled; Hermione must have bewitched them again this morning because they now bore the initials _GW_ in blazing red writing and _SS_ in glowing green. There was a gold ribbon entwined between the letters elaborately.

"On this fine August evening you have gathered here to celebrate the union of Ginevra Molly Weasley and Severus Snape." Dumbledore begun with a smile at Ginny and Severus. "In the presence of friends and family, this happy couple wishes to be joined in matrimony, so that they can merge their minds, entwine their hearts and unite their souls. I ask you to all bear witness to this sacred moment when Ginevra Weasley and Severus Snape merge their life's past into one road paved with love." Ginny and Severus turned to face each other. "Before this ceremony continues I ask any one who does not feel that his union should occur to speak now, or be forever silent." Ginny looked at Severus, he smiled back at her. The silence remained unbroken and Ginny let out a breath of relief, Severus squeezed her hand. "Ginevra, Severus, you stand before this assembly of your family and close friends to declare your undying love for each other. I am sure that you are both aware of the reality of the vows that you are soon to speak, that they are binging and permanent. I must ask you now if you have come here today without reservation and of your own free will?"

"We do." Severus and Ginny chorused. Albus Dumbledore turned to Ginny.

"What is your name?" He asked her.

"Ginevra Molly Weasley." She replied loudly.

"And what is your desire?"

"To join with he whom I love."

"Ginevra, will you take this man to be your husband, to live together with him in marriage? Will you love him unconditionally, care for him ardently and soothe his aching heart in times of need?" Albus asked, Ginny smiled.

"I will." Albus turned to Severus.

"What is your name?" He asked.

"Severus Snape."

"And what is your desire?"

"To join she whom I love."

"Severus, will you take this woman to be your wife, to live together with her in marriage? Will you love her unconditionally, care for her ardently and soothe her aching heart in times of need?"

"I will." He stated confidently. Dumbledore reached into his pocket and retrieved two gold wedding rings engraved with Celtic patterns and the ancient rune Geba, symbolising infinity. He handed one to Ginny and one to Severus.

"A ring is the symbol of love without an end. This ring will be a physical symbol of the love that you share and the vows you speak to each other. They will serve as a reminder that all things but love must end, and that it is part of the cycle of existence. As the wheel of life turns ever onward your love will also." Albus smiled at Ginny.

"I, Ginevra Molly Weasley, swear on all that is good and beautiful in this world, to devote myself to you, Severus Snape, wholly and completely. I give unto you my mind, body and soul in their entirety. I promise to care for you through times of happiness and sadness, hope and despair, joy and anger. I promise that my love for you will grow ever stronger as we walk through life as husband and wife." She said, she slipped the ring on he finger and she smiled at her.

"I, Severus Snape, promise to love you, Ginevra Molly Weasley, with all of my heart. I swear to care for you and protect you to the best of my ability. I will make sure that your home is never empty, that there will always be food on your table and that I will be there to comfort you when you need me to be. As your husband, I will support you in all of your decisions and help you achieve your dreams. I will make sure that you come before everything else, that nothing else takes precedence over the love and devotion I feel for you. I vow to you today that I will commit myself to you as we walk through life as a married couple." He said, he put the ring on Ginny's finger. Dumbledore motioned for them both to kneel, and they did. He took out his wand and rested it against their clasped hands.

"Before the witnesses gathered here today, do you both wish to be joined in matrimony by a love that will last deep into eternity?" He asked.

"I do." Ginny said.

"I do." Severus added. As soon as the words left Severus' mouth a thick stream of blinding gold light flew out of Dumbledore's wand and wove itself around Ginny's and Severus' clasped hands, the two ends tying into a knot and sitting idle for a second before exploding into a thousand gold sparks. Severus and Ginny then stood, hands still clasped together tightly.

"Ginevra, please hold your hands out to Severus, so he may see the gifts that they are to him." Ginny let go of Severus' hands and held hers, palms up, Severus rested his hands on top of hers, their palms together. "These are the hands that are smooth, young, and carefree, that are holding yours on your wedding day, as she pledges her love and commitment to you for all the days of her life. These are the hands that will hold you tight as you struggle through difficult times. They are the hands that will comfort you when you are sick or console you when you are grieving. These are the hands that will passionately love you and cherish you through the years, for a lifetime of happiness." Ginny leant over and kissed Severus on the cheek. "Severus, please hold your hands out to Ginevra, so she may see the gifts that they are to her." Severus now had his palms face up, Ginny's hands rested against his. "These are the hands, strong and vibrant with love, that are holding yours on your wedding day as he promises to love you for all of the days for the rest of his life. These are the hands that will countless times wipe the tears from your eyes: tears of sorrow and tears of joy. These are the hands that will comfort you in illness, and hold you when fear or grief rack your mind. These are the hands that will passionately love you and cherish you through the years, for a lifetime of happiness." Severus leant over and kissed Ginny on the cheek.

Ginny and Severus clasped hands again and turned to face the people who were seated. For the first time during the ceremony Ginny was able to realise that it was real, that it was actually happening. She smiled and squeezed Severus' hand tightly. He looked at her and smiled. Ginny looked at the faces of the people gathered, seeing the same longing in their eyes that she felt at Ron and Hermione's wedding.

"Ladies and gentleman who have gathered here to honour the union of these two people, I wish to present to you, as husband and wife, Mr. Severus Snape and Mrs. Ginevra Molly Snape." Dumbledore said. The people watching the ceremony got to their feet and clapped as Ginny and Severus walked around the circle once and out of the Great Hall. When they were in the entrance hall Ginny threw herself at Severus and kissed him passionately.

The guest slowly filed out of the Great Hall and congratulated Ginny and Severus, some more willingly than others. Hazel and Colin walked over to Ginny and Severus, Colin's camera hanging from around his neck.

"Congratulations Ginny!" Hazel said, throwing her arms around her friend, she pulled away. "You too Severus." Hazel added, hugging Severus as well, he hid his shock well. Ginny smiled at her friend and Colin told then to stand together for a photo.

No more than ten minutes later Dumbledore had completely re-arranged the Great Hall for the reception. The banners were now changed, with the initials _GS _and _SS_ in a sparkling silver with the gold ribbon entwined between them. When every one took their seat Hermione walked over to Ginny and Severus and handed them each a gold goblet with a bright orange liquid in it. They turned to face each other and all of the people in the hall raised their glasses in a toast. Ginny and Severus entwined their arms and swallowed the liquid in the cups. As the potion slithered down her throat Ginny had to stop herself from screaming. It burnt at her inside and made her body tingle as though it was being prodded by a thousand needles. After a few seconds the pain subsided and Severus had caressed her face tenderly, he was more prepared for the potion than she was.

"Not all branding potions are bad." She whispered to him, he smiled.

"I know." He replied, placing a hand on the top of his right thigh, feeling the tenderness where the branding had just occurred.

Late that night Ginny and Severus said goodbye to the guests that were left and stepped into one of the horseless carriages which took them to the gates of Hogwarts where Ginny farewelled her teary-eyed mother and father. Severus held her hand tightly and apparated to the backyard of his house at Spinner's End. He took Ginny's had and silently led her through the house and up the stairs. Ginny smiled. Severus opened his bedroom door slightly and stuck his wand through the space. Ginny looked at him questioningly, but all of her questions were answered when he opened the door for her. She gasped. The room looked amazing. There were hundreds of pure white candles around the room, casting a sensual, flickering light. She looked at the bed to see that it was covered with deep red rose petals.

"Do you like it, my love?" Severus asked, Ginny nodded eagerly.

"Yes, I don't think we should ruin it." She teased, he swept her into his arms and carried her over to the side of the bed.

"It is funny how what we think and what we do often contrast greatly." He whispered into her ear before he kissed her passionately. His arms wrapped around her waist. She pulled away from him and turned so that her back was facing him, she lifted her hair up so that he could unlace her corset. He loosened the last string and watched as her dress slid down her body and landed on the floor softly. He placed his hands on her back and ran them up to her neck and then down her shoulders, settling on the bands around her upper arms. He tugged at the laces that held them on, and they too fell to the floor. She turned around slowly and smiled at him. He looked over her body seductively. His eyes fell onto the small pattern on her upper thigh, a Celtic love knot that they were both branded with that evening. He felt a wave of heat rush through his body, she was his.

Ginny undressed Severus as slowly and teasingly as he had undressed her. Taking her time to strip him down. When they were both completely naked Severus lifted her up again and laid her down on the bed softly, he laid on top of her and kissed her soft white neck, the scent of her skin and the rose petals setting his senses into over drive. He thrust himself inside of her and she bit his shoulder.

* * *

After three days of lovemaking and relaxation, the newly wedded couple was required to continue their jobs for the order. Making their first visit to the Headquarters of the Order of the Phoenix as husband and wife that evening for dinner. Ginny and Severus made their way into the dining room clasping hands. When Ginny saw her mother she let go of Severus and gave her mother a hug.

"Oh Ginny!" Her mother sighed, Ginny smiled at her "I have missed you." Molly said, Ginny kissed her cheek.

The dinner that evening consisted of baked pork, potatoes and peas, Ginny's favourite. She and Severus sat at the table with the rest Weasley's, enjoying their first meal as a family.

"Snape, can you please pass me the gravy?" Fred asked, Severus passed the small bowl to the red head.

"Fred, he is your brother-in-law, you should call him Severus." Hermione hissed, Fred shrugged.

"Nah, I like Snape better." Fred said.

"You don't mind if we call you Snape do you, dear brother-in-law?" George asked.

"I don't see why not." Severus replied, Hermione looked at Ginny in horror.

"You should tell your brothers to grow up." Hermione said indignantly.

"So, when you are annoyed at them, they are my brothers?" Ginny begun, spooning some more peas onto her plate, she shrugged "At least they aren't threatening to murder him." Hermione shrugged as if that was fair enough and turned her attentions to Ron, and telling him off for no particular reason.

"It was a lovely wedding." George said. Ginny smiled her thanks.

"Yeah," added Fred "I bet the wedding _night_ was lovely as well." Severus looked at Ginny, not wanting to insult the twins himself.

"You see Severus," Ginny explained "the twins are so incredibly ugly and daft that they can not find any girls that will go out with them, so they ask insanely personal questions about other people's love lives in order to compensate for their personal lack of action." Severus laughed and Fred and George rolled their eyes.

"How do you know we haven't been getting any action?" Fred asked, Ginny waved her hand at him dismissively.

"Yeah, how do you know that I didn't bring a lovely blonde specimen home last night?" George said cockily, Ginny clapped in delight.

"Oooh! What is your boyfriend's name?" She asked, George threw a spoonful of peas at her.

* * *

Ginny and Severus were in the potions room at Spinner's end working on some healing potions that the order needed. Ginny was preparing the ingredients and Severus was adding them to the cauldron.

"You know," Ginny said with a grin "It is a real pity that you don't cook nearly as well as you make potions." Severus laughed.

"Well, you aren't too good either. Compared to your mother, anyway." He said teasingly, she turned to him.

"Oh, are you trying to pick a fight are you?" She asked, brandishing her ladle at him recklessly.

"Perhaps," He drawled with a shrug "it is about time we had a fight anyway." He said, Ginny laughed. She started stirring the thick blue potion again, before stopping abruptly.

"Severus," She begun, he looked over at her while trying to catch a tadpole from a tank against the wall.

"Yes my love?" He managed to snatch one of the little creatures out of the tank and threw it into the cauldron, Ginny felt sorry for the poor thing.

"Well, I was wondering. What is going to happen in a few weeks when you have to return to Hogwarts and I need to go to Newtlore?" Severus frowned.

"I don't know. Maybe I will go to Hogwarts and you will go to Newtlore." He said, Ginny rolled her eyes.

"No, really, because Newtlore is nowhere near Hogwarts." She said softly. He stopped stirring the potion that he was working on and walked over to her, he wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her head softly.

"I know, my love, but you need to go there, and I need to go to Hogwarts, there is still money to be made." He said, Ginny rested her head against his chest.

"Isn't there another way? Because when you return to Hogwarts I will have to move back into Grimmauld Place, and we wont be able to see each other for- well, for ages." He brushed some loose strands of hair of her face.

"I don't know Ginny." He sighed, she closed her eyes and thought for a moment.

"Do you think, maybe, that we could find somewhere to stay in Hogsmeade? I could floo to Newtlore, and you could go to Hogwarts in the mornings." Severus frowned.

"I don't think that would work. Albus has been adamant that I return to _Hogwarts_, in case of an emergency it would be easier for him to contact me and save a great deal of time." He whispered, stroking her flaming red hair. She sighed and pulled away from him, stirring her potion vigorously. He clasped her hand and moved it more slowly around the cauldron. "If you stir it too fast you will ruin the potion." He said softly, she shrugged. He kissed her neck softly.

A loud knocking sound echoed through the house and Severus looked towards the roof of the potions lab. He turned to Ginny.

"Ginny dear, stay here. I will see who it is." He said, she nodded.

"I can't leave this potion here anyway, I need to keep stirring it after I add the mandrake leaf." Severus nodded and made his way up the stairs, brushing off his robes. He walked through the pantry door, shutting and locking it behind him. He walked over to the front door and took a deep breath, he wasn't expecting any visitors and he was sure that Ginny wasn't either. He opened the door and had to bite his tongue to stop himself from swearing.

"Lucius, what can I do for you?" He drawled, Lucius glared at him.

"You could let me in for a start." He hissed, Severus raised his eyebrows.

"I am rather busy at the moment, can you make it quick?" Severus asked, Malfoy laughed.

"I am here on important business Severus, the least you could do is let me in so that we can converse in privacy." Severus took a step back and grudgingly let the blonde-haired death eater walk into his house. "And besides, what could a single, childless man on holidays possibly have that is so urgent?" Severus glared at him.

"Just because I do not have children, Lucius, it doesn't mean that I am not busy." Severus sneered, Lucius laughed and patted him on the shoulder.

"If you say so." He scoffed.

"What is wrong?" Severus asked shutting the door.

"I wanted to tell you that the-"

"Severus, did you want me to stir your potion for you?" Called Ginny's voice from the potion lab, Lucius raised his eyebrow and made for the kitchen, Severus stepped in his path.

"I have heard that voice before." Lucius said with a knowing smile, Severus raised his eyebrows.

"Really? What do you want?" He asked.

"Isn't that the debauched Granger girl?" Lucius asked, Severus shook his head.

"Severus?" Ginny called again, Lucius raised a hand.

"Ah, no, it is the Weasley girl." Lucius said "You better answer her Severus." Lucius barked.

"Of course." Severus called over his shoulder. Lucius smiled at him.

"So, you have the young Weasley girl in your charge?" He asked, Severus searched his mind for something to say, an excuse, a lie, anything.

"Charge?" He scoffed "I would hardly call it that. She is only here on Dumbledore's orders to brew potions. I think he has become suspicious." Malfoy nodded.

"I wonder what Percy would think of you spending so much time with his baby sister?" Malfoy asked, now pacing the lounge room.

"I would wager that he wouldn't care. I wish I could get rid of her, but unfortunately, I have a job to do." Severus explained, Lucius nodded as though he understood perfectly.

"While we are on the topic of jobs…. And alliances. The Dark Lord wanted me to tell you that he has moved the plan forward."

Ginny threw the ladle down impatiently and walked up the stairs. She placed her hand on the door know and jumped when she felt it turn in her palm. The door open and Severus was looking back at her.

"Ginny, what were you doing?" He asked, she furrowed her eyebrows.

"Coming to see what was taking you so long." She replied, he glared at her.

"I told you to stay here." He drawled, her mouth dropped open.

"Sorry, but last time I checked I lived here too." She snapped, he looked away.

"I apologise Ginny, I didn't mean it like that." He said, he hardly wanted to get onto her bad side. "It was one of those muggle door-to-door salesmen. At least, I think it was. It could have been anyone Ginny, we have to be careful, we can not risk people finding out that you are here." She shrugged and turned around. They made their way down the stairs and returned to brewing their potions.

* * *

Two nights later Ginny and Severus were lying in their bed. He pulled her warm body closer to his and kissed her bare neck softly. She turned to face his and caught his lips with her own, kissing him passionately. She ran her hand down his body teasingly and felt his body reacting to her touch. She pushed him back softly and climbed on top of him, straddling him seductively. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer to him, begging for her to sooth his longing.

After teasing him for long five minutes she finally gave in, unable to resist the temptation pulsating through her own body. When she gently eased him inside her she heard him breath out a sigh of hunger. She leant forward and kissed him as she rocked against him, slowly at first, but as her lust for him grew, so did her pace. Their bodies moved together in perfect unison, each one knowing exactly what the other wanted. The pleasure swelled inside them, begging for satisfaction, and they responded their pace increasing.

"I love you." Severus moaned, feeling as though he was about to erupt.

"I love you too." Ginny replied, feeling the same pleasure sweep through her that Severus was feeling. With a final thrust they were both carried away by the pinnacle of their desire to a world of their own.

As Ginny eased herself back onto the bed besides Severus the world that they had shared for a short moment started to slip away and she floated back into the real world, Ginny rested her head on his chest, feeling the closeness and taking comfort in it. Severus sat up slightly and stretched his arm out towards his bedside table, groping around blindly in the dark for his wand. Ginny reached out and put a hand on his forearm, stopping him.

"Ginny," He whispered, she kissed his chest and looked up into his eyes barely visible in the starlit room.

"I don't care." She replied softly, he brought his arm down to stroke her hair.

"But what about…" He begun using his free hand to caress her stomach, hinting at what he meant, she lifted a finger to his lips.

"I don't care, Severus. Not tonight." She said, he rested his head against his pillow and turned to face her.

"I really do love you, you know." He told her, she smiled.

"I know, I really do love you too." He kissed her on the lips softly.

"Goodnight my love." He whispered, before closing his eyes. Ginny's eyes shut softly as she willed herself to sleep.

Before either of them could be seduced by dreams there was a loud bang from downstairs. Severus jumped up and grabbed his wand from the bedside table, he pulled his dressing gown on quickly and turned to Ginny.

"In the cupboard" He whispered, creeping towards the door.

"Severus…" She hissed, he turned to her.

"Please Ginevra, do it." He said with such urgency that Ginny couldn't refuse. She pulled her own dressing down over her naked body and reached for her wand before stepping into his wardrobe and disappearing into the magically concealed attic.

Knowing that Ginny was safely hidden away Severus slowly crept down the hallway, careful to avoid the that he knew would creak. He made his way silently down the stairs and walked.

"Severus?" A familiar voice called out, he felt his heart beat a little slower. He lit up the tip of his wand. He saw the person that the voice belonged to and a new current of dread flowed through him. "It is time." The voice said. Severus ran into the laundry and pulled on some clothes before taking a deep breath. In a split second his disappeared into thin air, knowing full well that he would reappear in the place he least desired to be.

* * *

Ginny sat in the attic, trying not to let the dust and panic overwhelm her. She had taken to distracting herself by looking through some boxes of photographs that were in the attic. She had tried to sleep but the dust floated into her nose and tickled it so that she could relax, and her stomach kept doing nervous flips that had nothing to do with the fact that she and Severus didn't cause a contraceptive charm earlier that evening. She bit her lip as she flipped through the photo album that was in her lap, the soft light emanating from her want barely enough to illuminate the photos.

Seeing Severus face in the photos only made the wait more unbearable for her. She didn't know if he was still all right. She didn't even know what the noise downstairs was. She knew that there was something going on, she had never heard such urgency in his voice before, but she knew that she should stay where she was. The temptation to get out of the dust ridden attic grew stronger in her for every second that she sat, motionless, in the room.

"_Distifilt_." She hissed, with a wave of her wand some of the dust disappeared. She used placed a photo album on the wooden floor and rested her head on it, striving to close her eyes and sleep.

* * *

The first rays of the sun's early morning light touched the ground, illuminating to all who were still alive the precarious circumstances in which they had found themselves. Dead bodies littered the floor as though they were part of the emerald green grass, the burning rays of sunlight warming the stone cold flesh and causing the smell of decay to rise from them.

His long black cloak brushed against the dead bodies as he tried to find a path through them, the wind ruffled his raven black hair and carried the scent of the dead into his nostrils. He looked around at the carnage that surrounded him and felt a stabbing in his stomach. Everywhere he looked he could see people that he knew, people that he had become close to. His heart lurched for those who were lost in the battle, even those who he did not like did not deserve such cruel and merciless deaths.

As he searched for people who may be wounded, and not dead, his thoughts drifted back to Ginevra Weasley, he could only hope that she was waiting for him.

* * *

Ginny felt a thumping on the attic floor and her eyes snapped open. She crept over to the trap door and tapped it with her wand before lowering it slightly and looking around.

"Ginny!" She heard a woman's voice call frantically, Ginny jumped out of the man-hole and ran over to her mother. Molly was covered in blood and dirt, looking tired and stressed. "Ginny, come on, we have to go." Molly said taking her daughter's hand.

"Severus?" She whispered, her mother tugged her arm.

"Ginny, we don't have time for this now, hurry up." Her mother barked, Ginny stood rooted to the spot.

"What about Severus?" Ginny yelled, her mother turned to face her and put her spare arm on her shoulder. Ginny felt the ground beneath her move away, suddenly replaced by the familiar floor of number thirteen Grimmauld Place. "Mum, where is Severus?" Ginny hissed, her mother pulling her into the kitchen. Ginny fell silent when she stepped through the door. There, in front her, stood a few people, most of which looked as though they were in worse condition than her mother. Ron and Hermione stood, tears streaming from their eyes, blood leaking from cuts all over their face and bodies. Ginny's father, Fred and Charlie were there too. Ginny bit her lip, they all looked devastated. Ginny heard footsteps and turned around quickly.

"Ginny, I am so glad you are safe." Whispered Harry, bringing up a hand to caress her face. He looked the worst for wear, his face was covered in no less than fifteen cuts, his robes torn so much that they looked as though they would soon fall off, his left hand was so badly damaged that in most places the skin was completely torn off, the perfect white of his bone exposed to the cool morning air.

"Harry…." Ginny said softly "I am glad to see you are alive… But…" She took a breath before continuing, wanting to make sure she had the confidence to say it "w-what about Severus…" she asked, Harry frowned slightly.

"He is fine." Harry said, Ginny let out a breath of relief and tears started to pour from her eyes. Harry looked away from her. Ginny turned to her mother.

"What about e-everyone else?" She asked, her stomach once again loosing stability. Molly bit her lip and looked away from her.

"Albus, Remus, Severus and others are looking for survivors." Harry said, Ginny nodded mutely.

More than two hours passed in complete silence and desolation before their fears and hopes were confirmed. Albus, Remus and Severus returned, not looking any cleaner or less injured than the others, their faces a picture of distress, covered in blood and dirt. When Ginny saw Severus step through the door she ran over to him and wrapped her arms around him, her tears absorbed by his robes. He returned her hug as well, and a sense of relief flooded through her, he was there, with her. Molly walked over to Albus and grabbed his arms, tears streaming from her eyes.

"D-did you find him?" She stuttered, Albus looked at her and shook his head sadly, Molly wailed in anguish and fell to the floor, Ginny looked at Severus questioningly.

"What is going on?" She asked him, he pulled her head against his chest and leant down.

"We found George's body, he didn't survive, Ginny." He whispered. She felt the familiar plunging sensation in her stomach and wished that she could just disappear. The pain seared through her quickly as she realised that she would never see him again, never hear his voice or joke around with him. Albus cleared his throat.

"But, it is over, isn't it?" Harry asked feebly from somewhere behind Ginny, she turned to look at him.

"That stage is over Harry, Voldemort is gone, for good this time. But there will me more, take my word for it, we can not rest until all of his followers have been brought down." Ginny looked at Severus and the realisation hit her that while she was hiding there were hundreds of people fighting for the life of wizards over the world. Ginny looked up at Severus and he gave her a small, triumphant smile.

_

* * *

_

_The news that Voldemort had been defeated spread like wildfire, fuelled by rumours and the media. All around the world wizards and witches were dancing in the streets and celebrating the freedom of their kind. They no longer felt the threat of the most notorious Dark Wizard of all time. They were able to speak the name Voldemort, their fear of his retribution wiped away by the knowledge that Harry Potter, the Boy Who Lived, had defeated the evil wizard for the second and last time._

_While the entire world was celebrating, there were many wizards who were mourning. For while the Dark Lord was defeated, so were hundreds of innocent people fighting for the freedom of their friends and family. There were so many to mourn for, so many had fallen, never to taste the freedom that they had a hand in creating. _

_The Order of the Phoenix was not celebrating like other magical folk. They had the most to lose in the battle, and they escaped far from unscathed. They lost almost half of their entire organizations, aurors both new and old. T_

_The Weasley family in particular had many to mourn for, friends and family alike; troublesome twin George, long time family friend Alastor Moody, friend and confidant Dedalus Diggle, teacher and companion Rubeus Hagrid and many more of their friends and acquaintances. But while they mourned, the Weasley family knew that the people who died did not do so in vain, even though the war was far from over it the worst of it had passed._

_Ginny's personal suffering was slowly relieved by the love and guidance of her husband and best friend; Severus Snape. He took his time to tell her about the events of the night when the Dark Lord was defeated, knowing that it would help her cope with the pain of loosing so many. _

_The feeling that came along with the end of the war for Severus was not only one of loss, but also despair. For years he had been a double agent, helping the Order of the Phoenix and misleading the Death Eaters. It was inevitable for him to feel some amount of responsibility for the death of the innocent people on both sides. He knew that for a fact there were Death Eaters who were forced into fighting by bribery and the use of the forbidden curses, and for them, his heart ached. The members of the Order who fell also added to his feeling of guilt, he should have done more to warn them, but as it was Voldemort unexpectedly moved his attack forward by twelve hours. It seemed that Severus was the only one who was unaware of this, and in his mind, he should have known. _

_As Dumbledore had told Ginny some time before the final battle took place, _"_There is always light in the darkness, Miss Weasley. Often all we need is to find the courage to open our eyes and see it". Ginny did open her eyes, and what she found was something that had always been there, love. She realised that the light Dumbledore spoke of was love, and she knew that she could find it in Severus. The amount of courage Ginny had used in the past two years was incalculable, but with out it she would never have found Severus, never have loved him and never found comfort in his embrace or peace of mind. _

_Ginny and Severus were able to draw a conclusion from the events of the past two years; their lives were exactly as they should be. Nothing more, nothing less. And they would not prefer it any other way._

* * *

A/N: Wow. So there it is. The end. I never thought that this time would come. I apologise for the length of this chapter. The story grew while I was writing it. I didn't have the heart to cut any of it. Before I thank you all in a sentimental and emotion goodbye I would like to say that this story has been stacks of fun to write, and it has been the only fic that I have ever written that I have felt so passionately about.

I would also like to take a minute of your time to draw you attention to the Severus and Ginny's wedding. The bit where Dumbledore talked about the gifts that were their hands was taken from one of the most amazing sites on the WWW. It is called handfasting.info and if you put a www. In front of it you can visit it too. The concept of the hands being bound is an ancient Celtic (European, Wiccan, and many other cultures) form of marriage that I am fascinated by.

Sorry, there are so many things that I think that I should be saying at the moment, but I don't know what they are…. Well I can tell you know that I know exactly what happens in Ginny's and Severus life after this point and let me assure you it is good (mostly). Ummm.

OH! I wanted to say that I have two new stories out… they are:

Oh My Squidness!

As promised, this is the account of Squiddy the Giant Squid who lives in the bottom of the lake and all of his romances.

A Trust Beyond Reason

A Severus and Ginny fanfiction based after HBP. This one is going to be much darker than the Midnight hour!

And, if you really like Severus and Ginny stories, and want to read more may I suggest my personal favourites?

Monuments and Melodies _Morwen's Revival_

If I Could Melt His Heart _Mistress of Eternity_

Hearts of War _Angelique Collins_

Solace_ Darkpurpleflame _

**MEGA HUGE SPANKING THANKYOUS:**

_All of the Reviewers who ever reviewed:_ Thankyou soooo much for your comments, even to the people who flamed, I have loved being able to log onto for the past year and read your comments, it is so nice to have people comment of my writing.

**RaveNClaWGenuis: **One night? Really… wow, your poor child Thankyou for reviewing. And there is only me, now anyway, my friend and co-author left this partnership after the second chapter, so it is just me AKA Atalanta Zora! Take care!

**pink-flame-kit:** I know, when I was writing the last chapter I couldn't help but think about my last day of high school, when I realised that I should have gotten to know a lot of people better than I did, that is shown in Ginny's character with Liam, he could have been a valuable fried…. Anyway, stay safe, I hope you enjoyed the story!

**BlueRosesAtMidnight:** Thankyou so much, and yes, you were right. Chapter 22 being called "The Calm Before" was meant to fit in with chapter 23 "The Storm". I hope that the story didn't disappoint! Thanks for your reviews!

**Nyah1:** Unfortunately I like cliff hangers, but this is the last chapter, so you don't have to worry about me teasing you anymore with inconclusive endings! Thanks so much for taking out time to read my story, it means a lot!

**Christine36:** Wow, you didn't have to get up early to read it! LoL, I don't intend taking it off this site. Thankyou so much for reading and reviewing, I hope that you liked the end of the story!

**HarryGinnyfan23**: I hope that you enjoyed this chapter and that 22's cliffie wasn't too bad. Now you know what the Weasley family think and practically everything else about Severus and Ginny I hope I haven't disappointed you in any areas. Thank you ever so much for your reviews… they have warmed my heart!

**I Love Nerds 919:** I wanted Remus to have some sort of family, and there they are. Thankyou for taking the time to read and review my story, I cant even begin to describe how much it means to me!

**maddudewalking:** Never ever feel guilty! LOL! I would like to thank you for all of the reviews you have written for this story and let you know that you are one of the people who made me feel really encouraged to continue it. Your reviews have meant a stack to me, so I thank you, and wish you all the best! Your awesome!

**sOmEtHiNg – Lik3 – LAuGhTer: **It was so exciting to write this chapter because she does finally get out of school and she has to tell her parents and deal with everything else. Liam is a cute character, I am pretty fond of him, but I should have brought him in earlier. Too bad. Well, thanks especially for all of your reviews, they mean the world to me, and you are another one of those angels who had kept me eager to update! Stay safe!

**puresilver:** Thankyou so much! It is so great to know that the emotion that I try to write in the story does come through properly! I like Ginny as captain as well. I was so tempted to make Ginny ask Snape to dance at the party thing, but I couldn't bring myself to do it, it just really couldn't have happened, but as Dumbledore said, they will have a time to dance. Cliffhangers are abuse? Crap, if I would have known that it was that bad I wouldn't have used them…. Aww well, to late! I am sorry to kill off George as well, but you know how stories are, even the author looses control at some point. And for the second time, I was not high when I thought of Oh My Squidness! And now it is officially a story thanks to your encouragement…. Lmao. So, thankyou for reviewing my story and inspiring the author inside me!

**Angelic Bladez:** Yeah, engagements are great. I am a bit bummed though, cause my cousin doesn't plan of having kids any time in the immediate future, and that is the only reason I wanted her to get married… hehehehee. The chapters do get a hell of a lot longer, as did this one. It kind of grew while I was writing it, if you know what I mean, I really didn't think it was going to be so long until I did a word count, it seemed as though for every word I typed another ten appeared on the page. Thank you soo much for reviewing and encouraging me to continue, I will be eternally grateful!

**Mistress of Eternity:** Where to begin? Hmph… well, I guess I should start by thankyou A LOT for all of your reviews and support, it has meant a stack to me. I would also like to thank you for pointing out the errors I have made, and you may have noticed that in the previous chapter I killed of Diggle, and he is back in this chapter, well, that was a typo too lol. And about the lose loose thing, I do it all the time, I think it is because I think lose sounds as thought it should have more than one o… anyhow, I am really sorry that I have updated, but you know how the world work, crap happens. And thankyou for saying what you said about my story and your midterms, it means a lot to me. Cause I know that writing this story has been really therapeutic for me and I am glad that it has been a relief for you to read it. Again, thanks very much, and I love you too! hugs back

NEW SITE: Just wanted to let you know that I have also created a site with links to all types of GW/SS stories, called Amortentia…. I do not know how to make a proper site, so, at the moment it is only links, but after weeks of searching for a site completely dedicated to GW/SS and not finding a single one, I decided to make one….. Amortentia

Address: Chuck a http and a www. In front of: amortentia-potion.tk

Or use the link on my profile page!

OH! AND THE BEST NEWS OF ALL…. THE BEST NEWS I HAVE HAD ALL YEAR…. DRUM ROLL I got into University! Well, it may not be the best news in the world, but it sure is for me! I am going to be doing a Bachelor of Psychology at UWS…. It is what I have wanted to do for the past two years and I am ecstatic!

Sorry, I really shouldn't blab on about it!

Well, now comes the fateful time where I will sign off on this story for the last time. Once again, thankyou to EVERYONE readers and reviewers, you are all wonderful!

Lots of Love,

Sinister Spiders

XXXOOO


End file.
